Roasted northern beans

I used northern beans for this and it is a fantastic snack! Crunchy and full of flavor. You could use White Kidney beans and other beans as well.

I placed 2 cups of beans (if using canned ones drain well and pat a bit with a paper towel. Place them in a bowl and spritz with

olive oil
season with:
    Rosemary
    garlic
     salt and pepper

Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and place in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until nicely crisped. I turned mine a bit after 10 minutes. THESE ARE GREAT.

"Baked" microwaved apple

This takes 2 and 1/2 minutes in the microwave for a small to medium apple. So easy and so good.

Just core the apple and place in a microwavable bowl or mug. Sprinkle with apple pie seasoning or cinnamon and allspice or whatever you want. I used apple pie spice

Microwave for 2 minutes and check adding 30 seconds more at a time until nice and tender.

My apple was a honey crisp and nice and juicy. It took 2 1/2 minutes for this smallish apple.

spaghetti squash mushroom casserole with tuna or chicken if desired

Wow--do I LOVE THIS dish--soooooooooo yummy for me. I am experimenting for just myself --trying to go off all grains for a while. I loved this Spaghetti squash casserole.

I used some left over squash I had already cooked.

  For 2 servings:

Preheat oven at 350. Prep takes about 17 minutes and oven cooking takes about 15.

Spaghetti squash (I used about 2 cups of cooked squash) how to cook below
1 , 4 ounce package  of mixed mushrooms,
3/4 of a green bell pepper
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped purple onion
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup or so of Yogurt (Greek style)
Parmesan--as much or little as you like (I may have used 1/8-1/4 cup)
2 ounces of tuna or chicken

To cook squash. Do not peel or slice! Take the whole squash and prick it with a fork in 6 or 7 places around all sides. Place in the microwave and heat for 12-14 minutes until the skin is easily pricked.
Let cool for a while and then slice in 1/2 lengthwise removing seeds. Then just take a fork and run it along the inside of the squash---it turns like magic into spaghetti ;-).

Meanwhile sauté onions and peppers and mushrooms and garlic until they are soft and perhaps a bit brown if desired. (Takes 5-7 minutes more or less). Take 2 cups of the spaghetti squash and sauté for a few more minutes , mixing up the ingredients. (my squash was cold since I had some left over). Add the yogurt and Parmesan and if you like add a few ounces of either tuna or chicken.

Place in a shallow casserole at 350 for about 15 minutes until nice and hot. Serve with joy ;-)

Pancakes 2 ingredient grainless GF pancakes

These are easy and fast. To make 2 nice sized pancakes for 1 person:

2 egg whites
1 small banana
Cinnamon if desired

Blend the 3 ingredients and cook at just above medium on stove top. A bit of vanilla is also good in these.

Lentil Sweet Potato Pie

This was a different way to have lentils--I like it! This is a picture with a serving removed from it so you can see the inside ;-)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup diced celery (I used more)
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (I used more--3/4 cup)
• 4 1/2 cups prepared lentils (I used a bag of dried lentils)
• 2, 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 of the cans as fire-roasted tomatoes)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon basil + more for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 2+ tablespoons non-dairy milk
• Sea salt

What I did.  I cooked and then mashed the sweet potatoes adding a bit of nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Meanwhile: I sautéed the onions, celery and carrots for  5-7 minutes in a bit of water in a large soup kettle. Then I added my bag of dried lentils and 6 cups of water and cooked it all until the lentils were done (about 35-45 minutes). I then added the tomatoes, and some frozen spinach (but fresh would be better). I added some dried basil and a bit of soy sauce (a gluten free one)--I may not have used the whole amount of this ingredient. 

I placed the lentil mixture in my 2 quart casserole and spread the sweet potato on top and placed in a 350 degree oven for about a half hour until it was nice bubbly . I served with a fresh salad.

This would also be good cooked in individual ramekins. This made a ton! It would probably serve  8 to ten people.

Quinoa, Brussels Sprouts warm salad

warning--Quinoa can present problems for gluten sensitivity. I am giving the recipe below which is delicious! But here is why (I have problems with it--perhaps cauliflower rice might be a good substitution for quinoa in this recipe)

New Study Identifies Quinoa as a Potential Danger

A recent research paper published by V.F. Zevallos and co-workers examined 15 different varieties of quinoa, to examine their safety for people with celiac disease.

The quinoa proteins were tested to determine if they led to an increased production of IFN (interferon)-gamma and IL( interleukin) 15.  These inflammatory chemicals (also called cytokines) play important roles for the human immune response to gluten.  What did the researchers find?

  Two out of the 15 quinoa cultivars (“Ayacuchana” and “Pansakalla”) stimulated an immune response that was as potent as that observed for wheat gluten.

This result suggests that quinoa is not necessarily safe for ingestion in those with gluten sensitivity.  Additionally, the results shed more light on the traditional flawed thought that proteins in wheat, barley, and rye are the only food proteins to be problematic in patients with gluten sensitivity.  [see article http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/is-quinoa-a-safe-gluten-free-food-alternative/}




This is really quite tasty--I like the flavor combinations and it would be good for Thanksgiving as well. I needed to add more Brussels, but still it was very good. I only had 10 ounces and the recipe calls for more. This recipe called for cooking the Brussels in the oven which would be good but time consuming. I changed it up a bit. Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa
1 and 3/4 cup water
2 bags of Frozen baby Brussels Sprouts (10 ounce each so total of 20 ounces) I used the microwave pouch kind
a pinch or two of dried rosemary if desired
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1-2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
Parsley if desired
olive oil

Dressing:

DRESSING:

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used 1/2 tab less than this since I did not have full amount of Brussels.2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

Place the quinoa (already rinsed) and the water together in a covered pot and cook until done--about 12 minutes more or less. Meanwhile microwave the baby Brussels 4 minutes. Then place the Brussels in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and sautee with a pinch or two of dried rosemary. After a minute or two add your almonds and minced garlic. Sautee for another couple of minutes until the almonds and garlic are either heated through or slightly browned depending on how you like it.

Mix the brussel stuff with the quinoa. Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir well and add it to your quinoa dish stirring well. Add your cranberries, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

note to self: this may be good with cauliflower rice as a substitute for the quinoa!

Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake

Man, this smells so good when it is cooking! Easy enough for kids to make too. I like this gluten free as well. When I make a gluten free version I use the gf yellow cake mix . For the GF version I use less of many ingredients. See note at end.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 (21 ounces) can prepared more fruit cherry pie filling
• 1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow cake mix
• 2 sticks (1 cup or 16 Tablespoons) of butter or margarine, each cut into 12 slices OR MORE
• 1/4-t o one cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, etc., your choice
• 1 cup coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350

In a 9 by 13 pan:

Place cherry pie filling in bottom of pan spreading it over it. Place pineapple on top including juice.

Sprinkle the DRY cake mix evenly over the fruit. Slice up the butter into thin slices and cover the dry cake mix---I sliced it thin so it covered over the entire pan.  Sprinkle if desired with nuts and coconut. Bake for about one hour until it is done and bubbles (the fruit) up a bit> I did cover mine about 45 min into it so the coconut would not get too brown. This is very good just with the coconut without the nuts.

NOTE--for GF I use a 7 by 12 inch pan. I place the cherry pie filling in and then the crushed pineapple (I used a smaller can--it is a mid sized can) . I sprinkled it with 1/2 the GF yellow cake mix and then used only part of one stick of butter. I sprinkled it with coconut. I cooked it until it started getting light brown on the edges. It took less time--then the above one.

Butternut Squash and White Bean Stew

For tasty way to serve butternut squash!

2 Tab olive oil (or water)
1 cup slivered onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
3 cups mushrooms, cut into halves (I used a jar of mushrooms)
4 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash (about 1 large one)
1 (14 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes (the fire-roasted ones really give abundant sweet flavor)
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cups water
2 tab tomato paste (or ketchup)
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

1. Heat oil (or a bit of water) in Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add onion, celery and mushrooms [note if using mushrooms from a jar add at the very end in step 2].  Cook until veggies start to brown about 8 minutes--if you use water they don't really brown). Stir in squash, tomatoes, garlic water tomato paste, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender (this depends on the size of your squash--30 minutes to 60 minutes !)

2. Uncover and stir in beans and if you are using the mushrooms from the jar add now.

Serves 6 (the recipe says serves 8 but I am not sure it did).

Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

I loved this and made it gluten free. NOTE: I have now found a GF cream of chicken!



1 can (26 oz) cream of chicken soup (most cans are smaller than this)(can use 2 of the above if you can find it)--[instead I use 1  2cup can of
                  chicken broth [16 oz]that was GF and added a bit of light cream and thicken it
                   with corn starch]
1 & 1/4 cups of milk (I just added the light cream as above--about 1/3 to 1/2 cup
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (I used less)
1 tsp onion powder OR sauté 1 medium onion and 2 cloves garlic
3 cups cooked chicken or canned chicken cubed (I just used 12oz can)
1/2 a one pound package spaghetti (break into 1 & 1/2 inch before cooking) I used 3/4 pound GF
1 can sliced mushrooms drained (or sauté 1 cup fresh (I used one jar)
bread crumbs for topping--can use ritz crackers. I used GF bread crumbs
2 T melted butter

green peas are also a good addition

Stir soup, milk, cheese, and onion powder in large bowl.  Add chicken, cooked mushrooms and cooked spaghetti. Spoon in 3 quart baking dish . Stir crumbs and melted butter sprinkling over the top. (I just sprinkled my crumbs and dotted with the butter] . Bake 400 degree 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
Makes 4-5 servings--you can double for more.

FOR THOSE WHO CAN HAVE GLUTEN:

2-3 CUPS OF  cooked CHICKEN (CAN USED CANNED)
26 OZ CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
1 AND 1/4 CUP OF MILK (OR ALMOND MILK)
3/4 CUP OF PARMESAN CHEESE
1 JAR (SMALL) MUSHROOM OR 1 CUP FRESH MUSHROOMS
BREAD CRUMBS
BUTTER
ONION POWDER (NOT SALTED)
3/4 LB dry SPAGHETTI NOODLES BROKEN IN THIRDS OR FOURTHS

Green peas are a nice addition.

DIRECTIONS: Cook spaghetti.  Mix all together in large pot or bowl except for the bread crumbs and butter.  Place in a greased 13 by 9 inch pan.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs and drizzle some melted butter over the crumbs (or just dot with unmelted butter). Bake in preheated 400 degrees for 25 or more minutes (can take more) until all is bubbly and the crumbs start to brown.

Pumpkin soup with lentils

 I love this refreshing and different soup


I found this recipe in Better Homes and Garden Oct 2013. I like more lentils then they called for and I like the red lentils.

1 small sweet onion , cut in wedges or whatever
1 yellow sweet pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and well drained (I used at least 1 cup of RED lentils)
1 tab olive oil (I omitted and used just a bit of water )
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I used some dried ground ginger -- I probably used 1/2 -1 tsp
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 26 oz box chicken stock (I used 2 cans 15 oz each chicken broth)

In a 4-5 quart Dutch oven cook onion, sweet pepper and lentils in hot oil over med-heat for 2 minutes. [I just cooked the onion and pepper in a bit of water for 5 min or so then added the lentils and followed the rest of the directions]. Whisk in ginger, curry powder, cumin , broth or stock and pumpkin puree. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to med-low. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. [this depends a lot on the lentils ---I have some that need about 45 min to 60 min!] Season with salt and pepper before serving. Makes 4 servings---good also served over brown jasmine rice.
1  15 oz can pumpkin puree