Sweet potato and pork stew - WOW!

 The other morning, I thought I had taken out two pork chops to thaw for dinner. To my surprise, I had taken out  three baby back ribs by mistake. Three ribs? Really? What could I do with only three ribs? I had bought five pounds of sweet potatoes that morning to make our son some yummy sweet potatoes (his favorite, I might add). Since I usually make sweet potatoes when we eat pork, I thought why not put it all together and make it go a little further by making some kind of stew? I made this up as I went along, but knew in the back of my head that I had seen this before in some form. I wound up using baby food in the dish, too. I have apples galore in my freezer, but my son just doesn't like them, so I used them as a base here. The plan worked! Not only did I clear some space by using some unwanted pureed apples, but I also used something I was sure I was going to throw out! Way to save, girl! However, if you don't happen to have 6 ounces of frozen baby apples, I am sure a 50-50 mix of apple sauce and apple juice would work just fine.
NOTE: I know this is an ugly dish. The color is horrible and looks like something that came out of a small child (not in that cute way either). However, this tastes wonderful and ugly or not, I would serve this to company.

Makes four servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total cost: about $5, or $1.25 a serving

1 very large sweet potato, peeled and chopped large
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic
6 ounces of baby apples (or 50-50 pureed apples and juice)
1 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
3 pork ribs (a little less than one pound)
1 spring of rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sage
2 cups beef broth (I used "Better than Bullion" beef flavor with 2 cups of water)
Soy sauce to taste
fresh pepper
olive oil
2 large carrots

In a large sauce pan or stew pot, add oil, enough to lightly cover the bottom, over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and carrots. Saute for about five minutes, or until onions become transparent and begin to stick. While onions are cooking, cut meat from the bone into bite sized pieces. Leave some meat on the bone. Add meat and bones to the onion, garlic and carrot mix. Allow meat to brown lightly and then add baby apples. Cook for a few more minutes, or until the meat is sticking. Add all remaining ingredients except soy sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer for about an hour. Stir periodically. After an hour, add soy sauce to taste (I used about 20 shakes). Simmer for another hour. The potatoes should break down some to make the stew thick.

I think I would like to try adding chick peas to it next time to make it go further. Yum!!

Enchilada Casserole (my husband's all time favorite dish I make!)

This dish originally started out as a basic enchilada casserole but has evolved into a highly versatile dish that I change up every time I make it depending on what I have in the house. This is a favorite in my house. For me, it is super easy and a complete meal by itself. For my husband, well, he thinks it just tastes good. He requests this for special meals, which I gladly do. I have made this vegetarian before, subbing tofu and beans for meat, which was awesome. Find a good cheese substitute and you have yourself a pretty good vegan dish too. This is also a dish that lends itself well to freezing. While I was pregnant, I made this just to freeze so we could have a quick yummy dinner at hand for those crazy nights with our new bundle of joy.

Serves 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

About 15 corn tortilla, cut in half (varies based on the size of your pan)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup corn (or a can of corn, drained)
Cilantro to taste (I like to use about 1/2 a bunch, my husband likes less)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can Rotell, undrained
4 cloves of garlic
fresh spinach (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350.

In large sauce pan, brown meat. Add everything except the cheese and tortilla. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Line the bottom of a casserole dish with tortilla so the entire bottom is covered. Add 1/2 of the meat mixture to the tortilla and spread evenly. Top with 3/4 cup of cheese. Cover with another layer of tortilla. Add remaining meat mixture. Top with 3/4 cup of cheese. Top with tortilla and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. I like to use the nonstick foil here. Remove foil and allow cheese to brown for about five to ten minutes. Let the casserole stand for about ten minutes before eating.

I have to tell my husband that it has to stand longer so he will actually wait the ten minutes... However, he will attest that he is willing to burn his mouth for this one.

Pot de creme (super awesome chocolate pudding)

I saw this on one of my favorite cooking shows Mad Hungry. As soon as the host, Lucinda Scala Quinn, described it, I knew I had to make it. OH MY GOODNESS! It is so amazingly good! My husband has declared it as one of his favorites of all time. I will be making this again!
The top has a little bit of a crust while the inside is a perfect pudding consistency. I replaced the liquor in recipe with a little cinnamon. Since I made this to go with a Mexican dinner, that was the perfect flavor to add. However, I have some ideas for variations, which I listed at the end of the blog.

Makes 4 servings
Total cost: about $5 or $1.25 per serving


1 1/4 cups of half and half (yeah, this isn't low fat at all...)
3 oz. of dark chocolate (I used 4 oz.)
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor (optional)

Preheat oven to 300. Bring 1/2 and 1/2 to a simmer and remove from heat. Add chocolate and sugar. Set aside for at least five minutes.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir the chocolate mixture until blended. Gradually add to yolk mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour into 4 custard cups or ramekins in a shallow roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it is about half way up the sides of the custard cups. I only had two larger sized cups, so I put two servings in each.
Bake for 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven, they will not be solid in the middle. Remove from the water bath and refrigerate. Serve cold. 


Ideas for modification:
* Make with white chocolate
* Serve with raspberry sauce
* Add orange zest
* Line the bottom of the cups with crushed hazelnuts or toffee

* Mix in a teaspoon of peanut butter (not sure if this will work, but I am wanting to try)

Greek Burgers

This is one of the few times I use a GF bread. If you are daring, make your own bread. If you are cheap or just want a yummy meaty dinner without carbs, just eat it without any bread. Even though I enjoy this in a burger form, I am often too cheap to buy buns. I am not afraid to admit that.
I saw this on a menu of a snazzy little restaurant in Houston and decided that I wanted to try my hand at it myself. They used pita bread, but this is a wonderful remake without that. This is a quick and super tasty meal that is also pretty healthy. I like to make a little extra so we have left overs. The patties reheat nicely. Mix that with the cool crispness of the tzatziki, and - oh boy! It is a party in your mouth. This is also excellent crumbled over spinach for a Greek style salad.




Tzatziki sauce: Make this according to your own taste. I like it with extra cucumber, my husband with a little more garlic. Here is just a basic recipe.

1/2 cup Greek yogurt. You could use regular, but Greek is so much better
squeeze of lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 of a cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
3 or 4 minced mint leaves (optional)
1/4 of a small onion, minced
salt

Mix this all together and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Burgers:

1 lb. ground turkey
10 to 12 mint leaves, minced
1/4 a bunch of flat leaf parsley, minced
1/2 an onion, minced
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil
crumbled feta cheese

Mix everything together. I like to let the flavors sit for about ten minutes before I start cooking.
Divide meat into 4 equal parts. Cook over medium-high heat in a skillet greased lightly with olive oil, about 5 minutes each side. Allow the meat to brown well so the onions cook and caramelize on the outside.

Top each burger with crumbled feta and tzatziki sauce. Opa!

I usually take the remainder of the cucumber and onion and mix it together with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a quick cucumber salad. Yummy!!

Total Cost: about $5 or $1.25 a burger

Faux-sagna or Noodle-less lasagna. Yes! It can be done!

My sister and I were trying to come up with something awesome for dinner one night when we came up with what we called "Moussaka Casserole." After we tasted our wares, we realized it pretty much tasted like lasagna. The next time I made it, I added some ricotta cheese and, glory glory, I had an easy gluten free dinner that could rival my favorite lasagna without having to buy gluten free noodles. My husband, a lasagna connoisseur, loves this dish. When I make it, I make a large pan of it and freeze the left overs (if there are any!) in one or two serving containers for easy dinners or lunch for my husband at work.

This dish uses eggplant instead of noodles. I have had several people who claimed to hate eggplant rave about this dish. I claim it is because I soak the eggplant in salt water for at least an hour before I cook it. Most of the people who claim to not like eggplant say that it is too bitter. By soaking it in salt water, you remove the bitterness! No matter how I am making eggplant, I soak it. Now, I have converted my husband into an eggplant eater. 

Makes 10 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes or more (depends on your red sauce)

Cook time: 2 hours total

Cost: about $0.65 per serving

1 large eggplant, sliced very thinly (1/8 an inch or smaller - hey get out that mandolin slicer you never use!)

1 large container ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese (or more if you are a fan!)

1 small onion, diced

1 green bell, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 or 6 baby carrots or 1 large carrot, diced

1 lb. ground turkey (look for the turkey in a tube - so much cheaper!)

1 jar of red sauce (or make your own to save extra money and have a fresh taste - my favorite recipe is listed below)

Salt water

Soak sliced eggplant in salt water for at least an hour. A plastic bag with ensure that each slice is soaking.

Start by making a good bolognese sauce (red sauce with meat). I do this by browning the meat with the onion, garlic, bell pepper and carrot. Add the red sauce of your choice. The carrots add a wonderful sweetness that is especially good in this dish. Allow this to simmer for at least 30 minutes. I usually do not add salt since the eggplant soaked in salt water and the cheese is often salty.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain eggplant and place it on a towel. Pat it dry. Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of eggplant. Think of the eggplant as the "noodles" in the dish. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta over the eggplant. I find using my fingers to be the easiest way to do this. There is no need to add egg to the ricotta here like traditional lasagna. Pour 1/2 the sauce over the top and spread it evenly around. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozz cheese on next. Make another layer of eggplant, ricotta, sauce and cheese. Top the dish with any remaining eggplant before adding the last of the cheese. 

Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting. 

My favorite homemade red sauce:

1 large can of whole tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

Lightly saute the garlic in the oil. In a food processor, give the tomatoes a quick pulse. Add to the garlic and oil. Simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Yeah - it's that easy.

Chocolate torte with raspberry sauce

One thing that I miss about living in a bigger city is eating at P. F. Changs. Well, more specifically, the flourless chocolate dome that Celiacs and gluten-ators alike drool over. I have been trying to recreate that dish, and I have with success! I don't shape it into a dome, but who cares? It all goes down the same. For the most part, I use a recipe I found on at AllRecipes.com with only slight modification in the preparation process. This isn't super cheap to make, but it is less expensive than driving two hours to Birmingham to eat a torte.

I made this yesterday for a play date with three other mommies. We all needed a chocolate break and this was perfect! It is quick to get into the oven and tastes like heaven.

Serves 10
Prep time: 15 minutes for the torte, 5 minutes for the raspberry sauce
Cook time: 50 minutes for the torte, 10 minutes for the sauce
Cost: about $7 or $0.70 per serving


Torte:
18 oz. of bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup of water
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of butter
6 eggs
Sauce:
1 bag of frozen raspberries (or strawberries or mixed berries or whatever you want)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
squeeze of lemon

Grease a spring form pan. I use olive oil (yeah, I know, but it really works well with chocolate!) Preheat oven to 300. Fill a large casserole dish with water and place it in the oven on the lowest rack. The torte will cook in the middle on the oven over the water.
Soften butter in the microwave and set aside so it won't be hot when you mix it in. In a small saucepan, mix water, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a microwavable container that is large enough to hold everything. (30 seconds on high, stir, repeat until smooth). Fold in softened butter1/3 to 1/2 a stick at a time. Folding it easier than stirring it in unless you have a stand mixer. Stir in sugar water. Add one egg at a time and mix well. Pour into spring form pan. Cook for 50 minutes. It will look liquidy in the middle when you take it out of the oven. That is the way it is supposed to look. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Cut with a wet knife.
While the torte is in the oven make the raspberry sauce.
I use the same small sauce pan I used for the sugar water. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes stirring two or three times. Some people strain it to remove the seeds, but I like them!

Some ideas I have for modification:
- Instead of using water in the torte, I might try coffee or orange juice
- Add cinnamon to the melted chocolate
- Make a caramel or vanilla cream sauce instead of raspberries
- Make with white chocolate
- Make half with white chocolate and half in bittersweet and swirl it (oh heck yeah!)
- Line the bottom of the spring form pan with crushed nuts or toffee

Strawberry Spinach salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing

I know - every Celiac out there is tired of eating salads. I know. We go out to eat with friends and 99% of the time, there we are yet again, getting a salad with no croutons and the dressing on the side. Excuse me waiter, I would like to order a salad, extra complicated with a side of your scorn and a touch of eye rolling. But, this time, I would like to not go through how I am allergic to wheat, not weed, you crazy pothead. Kay. Thanks.
But, some salads are just plain good. This is so easy and makes a great side to just about anything. The dressing is also wonderful on other salads, so thy it out!

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none, duh, it's a salad...
Cost: about $4.00 or $1.00 a serving 
Note about cost: since the cost of olive oil and balsamic vinegar can vary tremendously, this is just looking at the cost of a pint of strawberries and the spinach mostly.


1/2 pint of strawberries, quartered
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon orange zest
juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon honey
pepper to taste

Some helpful hints:
* Even though bagged baby spinach is washed, wash it again. I have found some gross leaves in there before.
* Keep balsamic vinegar in the fridge after you open it. Apparently, this can help to keep the flavor sweet.
* Zest the orange before you juice it. I know that seems like a "duh" moment, but I sometimes get so excited that I forget.
* I everything separated and let people put it together themselves. This way, the spinach doesn't wilt either.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Most of my life, I have pretty much hated coconut. However, it isn't the flavor I don't like, but rather the texture. The coconut milk has a light flavor and in this dish, the flavor is super subtle. Also, the coconut texture is not there. It is worth going out and getting; plus, this recipe is much easier than classic rice pudding with milk and eggs. I actually really enjoy cooking with coconut milk, which is a thick liquid made from pureeing the tender coconut closest to the shell with the coconut water from the middle. Many people think it is just the juice from the inside of the coconut, but that isn't correct.  Even though I find this pretty easily at the grocery store, I usually swing by the Asian food store to pick this up. It is always less expensive there.
This is a great dish to make for someone who has other food allergies since this dairy and egg free as well.

Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: none really!
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $ 2.00 or $0.33 to $0.50 per serving


1 cup of uncooked rice
2 cups of water
1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda - equally as good here!)
Handful of cranberries, dates or raisins
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of salt
dash of cardamom (optional)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. (You know, make rice...)
While the rice is still steamy hot, add the coconut milk and butter. Stir on low for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Cook for 5-7 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
This is best after it has sat for a few minutes, so I usually make it while I am making dinner so it can sit while we eat. So easy, so good!

Moroccan Chicken with rice

While I was living in Houston, I found this amazing Moroccan restaurant called Saffron. I went there several times and fell in love with this one chicken dish they had. After moving to Alabama, I realized there is nary a Moroccan dish to be found, so I had to make it my self. I did a little research on flavors and spices in Moroccan cuisine and after some trial and error, have come up with this one. I have to admit that I am seriously proud of it!  I made it this evening for the first time in months. Even though the taste is exotic and tingling on your taste buds, all of the ingredients are things that most people have in the house most of the time.   
I buy whole chickens and cut them up for this. It is tremendously less expensive and everyone can get what they like (I like dark meat, but my husband loves white meat, for instance). 


Makes 8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes (or more if you need to cut up a chicken)
Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cost: about $5.00 or $0.63 per serving

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

handful of dried cranberries

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 apple (I use gala since they cook down so nicely), cored, peeled and diced

1 can of LeSur Baby Peas, NOT drained

1 1/2 cups white rice

1 cup broth (I used beef because I had some open and it added a great flavor, very round)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of cardamon

2 tablespoons of honey

salt and pepper

1 whole chicken, cut up

Preheat oven to 375. Dissolve honey into the broth. Mix everything (except chicken) together. Lay chicken on top of rice mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake covered for 1 hour. Uncover and cook another 20 minutes.

The spices are pretty heavy in this dish, which is the way I like it. However, for a dish with a little less kick in the mouth, reduce the amount of spices by about 1/3 or increase the amount of rice and liquid. 

Sausage and Potato Soup

In the wintertime, when the cold is biting at my toes, all I want to eat is a good hearty soup. This is a great soup that everyone loves for a variety of reasons. It is low fat, gluten free and so easy to make. These  are ingredients I have in the house most of the time, so it is also a good dinner for those nights when I just don't know what to make. Traditionally, this would be a high fat soup, but it doesn't have to be. I use skim milk and turkey sausage to keep it healthy. Plus, the turkey sausage is usually less expensive when you buy it in the tube. I know - tube sausage? Really? Why, yes! It is a great price (about $1.50 a pound) and about 50% the fat of pork. What's not to love? To find it, look in the frozen food section, not the fresh meat section.

A side note: I also buy ground turkey in the tube for only $1 a tube, which contains a pound of ground meat. Not only is it also half the fat of ground beef, it is also easy to store in the freezer since it is contained in a tube. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings (freezes well to keep for another cold winter day)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Cost: about $4.50 or $0.45 to $0.56 a serving

1 lb ground turkey sausage

5 red potatoes, diced with the skin on

1 onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 small can of 2% evaporated milk

1/2 cup of skim milk

3 cloves of garlic

5 cups of water

1 tablespoon of butter

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, melt butter and add onion and sausage. Cook over medium heat. When the sausage is mostly cooked, add the celery and garlic. Cook until the onion and celery is caramelized. Add the water and potatoes and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add milk and evaporated milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

I sometimes add garlic salt instead of regular salt. 

Jamaican jerk pork chops and savory sweet potatoes

Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops

Growing up, I didn't eat pork very often. It was more expensive than other meats, and we didn't have extra money to spare. Therefore, I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to the world of pork. For a very long time, I didn't dig on swine, mostly because I didn't know it could taste not greasy and not over salted. However, I have been practicing with this simple and quite tasty Jamaican jerk rub. I first purchased the rub a while ago when the grocery store was handing out samples. The woman had both pork and chicken, and this rub was awesome on both! I bought it, even though it was pretty expensive. However, the rub is so super easy to make! I am actually almost ashamed I ever bought the rub rather than just making it. But, you live, you learn.

I like to serve this with savory sweet potatoes. The flavors mix wonderfully.

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes (including marinading)

Cook time: 15 minutes

Cost: about $3.50 or $0.88 per serving

4 pork chops

salt to taste

olive oil

Jamaican jerk rub:

The ratio is 4:2:1, so adjust the amount as you need to. You don't need very much to spice up your dinner.

1/2 teaspoon each of sugar, garlic, allspice and pepper

1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and onion powder

1/8 teaspoon (or less if you want a milder rub) red pepper

Notice, there is no salt in this. Adding salt to meat while it marinates with a rub can pull moisture out. I always wait until right before I cook it to add any salt to the pork chop.

Coat each side of the pork chops with the spices and rub the mixture into the pork chops well. Allow the rub to sit on the meat for about 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate. Meat cooks at its best when it is room temp. 

Over medium heat, coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil. Cook the pork chops for 6 to 7 minutes on eat side. Do not turn them until the pork chop comes up from the pan without sticking. You want the sugar in the rub to caramelize. Allow the pork chops to sit for about 5 minutes before eating.

(In this picture, there is only 1/2 a pork chop because it was just too big for just me to eat.)

Savory Sweet Potatoes

This is, by far, my favorite way to eat sweet potatoes, especially in the winter time. Around the holidays, the price of sweet potatoes drops to just about nothing. At the grocery store, I was excited to find them for only $0.22/lb! However, when I went back for more, they were back up to $0.94/lb. Oh well. You snooze you lose. I did recently get them again for a relatively low price of $0.45/lb. This time, I bought more. I am estimating the cost here at $0.60/lb.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Cost: $1.25 or about $0.21 to $0.32 per serving

4 medium sweet potatoes, diced with skin on.

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 sprigs of rosemary, removed from the stem

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large casserole dish, coat the potatoes with oil. Add garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and cook for 1 hour.