Gluten Free Taco Meat Sauce

Gluten Free Taco Meat Sauce

Gluten Free Taco Meat Sauce

I have always liked Tacos at home as they are a super quick meal!  You can have them done in about 15-20 minutes.  Once going gluten free, I started really looking at the ingredients in the store bought taco seasonings and it’s pretty scary all the ingredients in there!  I decided to pick out the main flavor ingredients and see if I could figure out how to replicate it on my own.  According to my family, I have it down pretty good now.  Better than the boxed stuff!

Gluten Free Taco Meat Sauce

  • 1-1.5 Ground Beef (you can use chopped chicken too, or other ground meats)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 jar Fresh Salsa (I love using our local Frog Ranch Salsa Medium spicy!)
  • Minced Onion to taste (start with about 1-2 tbs)
  • Minced Garlic to taste (start with about 1 tbs)
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Chili Powder to taste

 

Start by browning your meat in onion, garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder.  You can always add more of this to taste once it’s cooked throughout.  Once thoroughly browned/cooked drain off any fat.  Add water and salsa to meat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and evaporated.  I usually add more of the Salt, Pepper and Chili Powder at this point.  While simmering, taste test and add any of the flavorings to adjust it to your preference.

 

Serve with Gluten Free taco shells and toppings of your choice!  We usually add fresh romaine lettuce, Mexican Cheese and more Frog Ranch Salsa!

 

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler can be so easy if you use Gluten Free Bisquick!  I just used the same ratios as the original recipe and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Gluten Free Bisquick
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 4-5 fresh peaches sliced and peeled

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix together nutmeg, milk and Bisquick in a 8×8 or 9×9 pan.  Next mix in the melted butter.  In a bowl combine the sugar and peaches.  Spoon peach mixture over batter.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler

YUM!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies can be hard to make ‘just right.’  I’ve tweaked my favorite recipe that a friend of mine Lynn makes a gluten version of.  These were my all time favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies that I’ve been able to successfully translate into gluten free!  The key is the method that you put the ingredients together to make it not grainy, so pay special attention to the mixing instructions!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

Combine Flour, Xantham Gym, Baking Soda and Salt in a bowl and set aside.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugars, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy.  Add egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each one.  Gradually beat in flour mixture scraping down sides when needed.  Stir in morsels.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake for 9-11 minutes at 375.  Note they will not get brown much on top like gluten cookies will!  Go based upon the bottom of the cookie!!

 

Enjoy!

Strawberry Desert Soup

Strawberry Soup

Strawberry Soup

 

This is a great quick summer time treat!  Natural and gluten free!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh strawberries hulled
  • 1 Cup Orange Juice
  • 1 Cup Yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp Gluten Free Vanilla Extract

Use a stick blender or your regular blender and blend all ingredients together!  You can add more strawberries to taste if needed.  My first batch was too ‘orangy’ from the Orange Juice.  We also put some of the soup in the fridge and it thickened up some and was a great snack for after a workout!

 

 

Gluten Free Curried Chicken Casserole

This dish has been a favorite of mine since my Grandmother first made it while I was in High School.  Since then I’ve tweaked it even better and more recently converted it to gluten free!  It’s great for taking to potlucks and holiday gatherings!  You can also make this the night before and then just cook it for about an hour.  It always tastes better that way and tastes better as left overs as the ingredients get a chance to meld together!

 

Ingredients:

Combine chicken soup, mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  I like to taste test this at this point.  You want it to taste a bit saltier than you’d expect because it’s the main seasoning and has to season the chicken and broccoli.  In a 9×13 pan, layer 1/2 the broccoli, 1/2 the chicken, 1/2 the soup mixture.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Top with buttered gluten free bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.  I like to put foil over it with one vent to let any extra moisture out.  Once it’s nice and bubbly, I like to remove the foil and brown at 425 for 5-10 minutes.

Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casserole before putting on the bread crumbs

Chicken Casserole ready to bake!

Chicken Casserole ready to bake!

Enjoy!

 Note: If you don’t need to be gluten free, just use 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup and herb seasoned pepperage farms stuffing!

Gluten Free Pizza Tastes like Delivery – Part 2

Since writing my original Gluten Free Pizza Tastes Like Delivery post, I’ve found another Pizza crust that also does a great job of tasting like delivery!  Here’s the crust that is our current favorite:

You can find this in our Kroger for around $7 for 4 pizza crusts!  So it’s a pretty good value.

Gluten Free Pizza that Tastes Like Delivery Part 2:

Ingredients:

Preheat your oven to 425 if you have a pizza stone.  You may want to bake this at 350 if you do not have a pizza stone. Take the frozen pizza crust out of the freezer and prepare the pizza.  I like to put the sauce on first, then garlic and onion powder as well as the oregano.  Then I like to put the cheese, toppings and a sprinkle more cheese to hold the toppings on.  Bake for about 15 minutes depending on your oven.  If you are not making it on a pizza stone, then raise your oven to about 425 for just a few minutes (Keep an eye on it!) to slightly brown the pepperoni and cheese.  The key to making this taste more like delivery is the optional spices and the ending baking it at 425 or baking it on a pizza stone at 425.

Here’s what they look like before baking:

Pizza Uncooked

Gluten Free Sausage, Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza

Here is the typical 4 different pizza’s I make at the same time.  I like to prepare mine on a cookie sheet so I can easily scoot them off onto my pizza stones that are preheated in the oven.

Gluten Free Pizzas

4 Different Gluten Free Pizza Varieties

Here’s the Sausage Mushroom and Pepperoni Pizza after baking.

Gluten Free Pizza Baked

Gluten Free Sausage, Pepperoni, Mushroom Pizza

Close up!

Gluten Free Pizza Close Up

I used the tube Tennessee Sausage on these pizzas.

Peanutbutter Cup Sandwich

Now this one is super simple and a staple for school lunches around here. What’s better than chocolate and peanut butter? For me, not much is. You just simply need 3 ingredients for this quick sandwich!

Ingredients:

  • Peanut Butter

Be careful what brand of chocolate chips you use! Many are used on the same lines or with other gluten containing ingredients. Enjoy Life brand is the only one I’ve had that is delicious AND certified gluten free!

Just spread peanut butter on bread, sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and enjoy!

Gluten Free Chicken Strips

With 3 kids (and a Husband…) chicken strips are always a hit!  These lightly breaded chicken strips are perfect for a quick tasty meal that’s not too heavy like the really processed chicken strips!

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper the chicken strips.  Lightly bread with the flour.  Heat oil or butter in a pan, just enough to cover the bottom, adding more if needed.   Nonstick is the easiest but I’ve done these in my stainless steal as well.  Once oil is nice and hot, place strips and turn every few minutes to keep from browning too much.  Takes about 5-7 minutes to cook depending on the thickness of your strips.  Enjoy!

Some may ask why I don’t do an egg wash.  I truly like my fried foods much lighter.  My Grandmother always just directly breaded the food she was cooking too.  I just use the natural moisture in the food to get the breading to stick.  Much simpler than doing an egg and/or milk wash!  Less calories too!

Gluten Free Baked Penne

Lasagna and baked penne is one thing I really missed after going gluten free. You can easily make this gluten free or with regular wheat penne.

Ingredients

  • 2 Jars Barilla Pasta Sauce (should say gluten free on the jar)
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 pound Gluten Free Penne or Ziti (corn based – I like SamMills for this recipe)
  • 1 pound low-moisture mozzarella, shredded or cubed
  • 1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese (gluten free! I use Boars Head or grate my own)
  • 1 pound ground beef(optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Start a big pot of water and add the salt.  While the water is coming to a boil, if adding ground beef, cook and drain.  I like to add some salt and pepper when I do this to add flavor to it.  Put the Pasta Sauce in a pot and add the beef.  Warm up while your water is boiling.  Once your water is boiling, add pasta and cook for 6-7 minutes.  Your pasta should be firmer than Al Dente as you will be baking it too.

Pasta Sauce for Baked Penne

Pasta Sauce for Baked Penne

While pasta is cooking, put about 2 cups of your pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  Once pasta is done, drain and quickly rinse with cool water.  Return it to your large pot.  Add remaining pasta sauce to the Penne and stir in about 3/4 pound of the mozzarella and about 3/4 cup of the Romano or Parmesan Cheese.  Stir to incorporate.

Spread pasta mix over pasta sauce in the 9×13 pan.  Spread evenly and then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese.

Baked Penne Prepared

Baked Penne Prepared

Cover with aluminium foil and bake until the corners are bubbling, about 30-40 minutes.  Bake uncovered for 7-10 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Remove pan from the oven, recover with foil and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

Gluten Free Baked Penne

Gluten Free Baked Penne

Oven Fries – Naturally Gluten Free!

These oven fries are Delicious and naturally gluten free!  Super simple to make too!

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 Medium Potatoes
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp pepper

Cut potatoes into wedges. I like to do this by cutting mine in half, then slicing the wedges, then cutting the wedges in half so they cook faster. Toss with oil, salt and pepper.

oven_fries
oven_fries2
oven_fries3

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400F for 45 min. Stir potatoes every 15 minutes while baking. Serves 6.