Pasta Beef Salad

So we had some food left over in the fridge as usual and lettuce is one of those things that you can't really leave sitting for more than a few days or it goes brown way too fast!

So I looked up some recipes for lettuce and then one inspired me to come up with this! :)

So for your enjoyment, a still unofficially named recipe that I thought was really really good. I couldn't wait to put it up. However, I am pregnant so sometimes my taste buds may lie. :) My husband gave it 9.5 out of 10 though so that's a good sign!

I'll call it "Pasta Beef Salad" - GF

Ingredients:

1/2 large head iceberg lettuce
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 green bell pepper, seeded & finely diced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cup rotini style noodles (I used Tinkyada Spirals)
1 1/2 Tbsp Tamari (I used Koyo Wheat Free Tamari)

Directions:

1) Cook pasta and set aside.
2) Wash and shred lettuce into salad type pieces. I used a knife and chopped it. :)
3) In a wok or heavy skillet, stir-fry beef, and garlic powder until beef is cooked.

4) Remove beef from heat, set aside.
5) Add peppers, carrot and onion to pan and stir-fry until vegetables are tender.
6) Add beef to vegetable mixture and add Tamari. Stir fry until Tamari is absorbed.

7) Transfer mixture to plates. I decided to add lettuce on the bottom, noodles next and top with ground beef mixture but if you want you could just mix it all together too. :)

8) Enjoy!

Tuna Tostito Salad

So I had some random stuff in the house and decided to create a salad to cover my tuna requirement for the week. :)

It's kind of a cross between a taco salad and a regular veggie salad I guess. Just random. I'm sure you could add different veggies if you wanted but like I said, I used what I had on hand. :)

Tasted good though I'd probably classify it almost more in the nacho category and we were half wondering what would happen if we have heated it all up? Anyone want to try it and let me know?

So for your enjoyment,

The recipe:

I'll call it Tuna Tostito Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 - 7 ounce can tuna (Skip Jack - low mercury)

3 - radishes (chopped)

1/4 of a cucumber, diced

1/8 tsp powdered garlic

4 tbsp Sour Cream

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded

Approximately 1/2 bag of Tostitos rounds

Cheddar Cheese to taste (Shredded)

Directions:

1) In a bowl mix together tuna, radishes, cucumber, garlic powder, sour cream, and lettuce.

2) On a plate place Tostitos and top with tuna mixture.

3) Add Cheddar Cheese on top as you desire.

Very yummy and easy!

:) Enjoy!

You may also want to consider breaking up the chips to make it more salad like but this of course depends how lazy you are. Also a bowl might make this easier to eat since it slid around the plate a bit but it was very tasty despite this problem. :)

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu & Quinoa

So after a few tries at cooking Tofu I can't say I'd been really impressed well, ever.

However, when your dietitician is saying it would be good for you to eat it and your husband accidentally bought 2 blocks instead of one and you don't want to waste anything you start thinking, what could I do with this?!

So I thought, I wonder if you could cook tofu on a George Foreman grill? Apparently you can!

Thanks to a fellow blogger, at http://shiftvegan.blogspot.com/ 2009/01/ george-forman-tofu.html I figured out just how to do that! :)

So between that blog and a recipe I found at veganyumyum.com for Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Collards and Quinoa I came up with this modified recipe. :)

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu & Quinoa

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 Block Tofu, extra firm, 14 oz (I used Mori-nu Silken tofu)

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce

3 Tbs Sugar

3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (Wheat free Koyo)

1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (dried spice)

1/8 tsp Garlic powder

Quinoa

3/4 Cup Quinoa, rubbed/rinsed in cool water, drained

1 tsp lime juice

1 1/3 Cup Water

1 bunch Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

2-3 Tbs Water

1 tsp Lime Juice

Directions:

1) Mix together ingredients for sweet chili lime sauce.

2) Slice tofu block into 1/2 inch slices and set into sauce. Marinate the tofu in the sauce for 15 minutes.

3) Set tofu on George Foreman grill. Heat grill to Medium high and cook for approximately 40 minutes. Turning occasionally as it cooks. Cook until it is crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside.

4) Meanwhile in a pot mix together the ingredients to cook the Quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook covered for 20 minutes. Turn off and let sit with lid on for 10 minutes.

5) In a wok or frying pan put Romaine lettuce, water and lime juice. Steam for 4 minutes.

6) Plate with Quinoa on the bottom, Romaine mix and finally top with Tofu slices.

Anyway, this has a little bit of a bite to it but it was very good! :)

Pork Lo Mein

So being gluten free doesn't make it very easy to find chinese take out at all which at times, especially when you're pregnant, can feel kind of depressing so when I found a recipe online for "so easy pork Lo Mein" on foodgeeks.com I thought this could be good!!

Anyway, unfortunately/ fortunately I didn't have most of the vegetables included in the recipe and I'm even a bit lazier than the recipe calls you to be when they call it "so easy" so veggies and cooking times have been modified. I might go so far as to say that it's almost a completely different recipe but I'll leave that up to you to decide. :) Here's the original link:

http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/recipe/19206, so_easy_pork_and_vegetable_lo_mein.phtml

The picture of course is what my creation looked like based on what I had on hand in our kitchen at the time. :)

So without further ado. . .

Pork Lo Mein

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. GF fettuccine, cooked and drained (I used 100% rice Rizopia Fettuccine)
1 lb. pork chops
1 med. onion, sliced in wedges
1/4 tsp powdered garlic
2 cups shredded cabbage - the bagged mix
1 cup sliced carrot (dollar style)
1 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Tamari (Koyo Wheat Free)

Directions:
1) De-bone & Cook chops on George Foreman grill. (If you don't have a George Foreman fry them in oil until heated through.) Cut pork up into strips when cooked.
2) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or wok.
3) Saute onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots and peppers until crisp tender. Add more oil if needed.
4) Add fettucine to cooked veggies in the pan. Stir in Tamari and add
pork pieces to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through.

5) Enjoy!

Potato & Tuna Casserole

So as promised I have included yet another recipe made with tuna. For those of you who enjoy tuna I'm guessing you're pretty happy with this idea and for those of you who, like me, think it's grose I promise you this really isn't that bad. In fact, it was actually pretty good.

I decided to make something that didn't involve noodles this time around. Unfortunately the picture didn't come out as clear as it could have but what you're basically looking at is mashed potatoes with tuna and cheese. :) Try it! Here's the recipe!

Potato and Tuna Casserole

Ingredients:
* 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1/2 cup 2% milk
* 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1.5 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 egg
* 1 (6 ounce) can chunk light tuna in water
* 1/4 cup chopped onion

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. In a large pot over high heat, place the potatoes with water to
cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 20 minutes, or until
potatoes are tender. Drain. Add the milk, Cheddar cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.
3. Mash potatoes. Beat eggs and add, drain the tuna and stir into the
potato mixture. Then stir in the onion, and season with salt and
pepper to taste.
4. Transfer mixture to a lightly-greased 10-inch diameter glass pie plate and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meatball Sub Casserole

It was food. It was good. The end.

~ Hubby

Luckily hubby does not write this blog otherwise all entries would start similarly to this one. :)

Hubby and I decided to recreate a casserole that looked pretty simple to make but then found out that the directions were really confusing so what you have here is my modified and simplified version of the original recipe.

Meatball Sub Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup GF bread crumbs - I use Kinnikinnick
* 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
* 1 lb ground beef
* Bread - to line pan - about 3 to 4 pieces of depending on bread size - I use Food For Life White Rice Bread
* 1 cup cream cheese
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
* 1 (28 ounce) jar GF spaghetti sauce
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 tsp powdered garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a bowl, combine onions, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

3. Add beef and mix well.

4. In skillet on medium heat cook beef mixture until no longer pink.

5. Meanwhile, arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased 13x9x2" baking dish.

6. Combine cream cheese, mayo, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over the bread.

7. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.

8. Combine sauce, water and garlic; add meat mixture. Pour over cheese mixture

9. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

10. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

This recipe tasted really good, and ended up being pretty filling. My husband and I had 2 servings each and there was still a bit left. We didn't toast the bread first but it might be good to try that if you want a crunchier texture. :)

Tuna Tacos

So I had an appointment with the dietitian last week and apparently pregnant women are supposed to eat low mercury sources of fish twice a week, every week!

Personally I have never been a "fish" person. I just don't care for the taste. Pre-pregnancy I would eat the occasional shrimp on New Years and about once a month I might eat some tuna casserole or some other form of hidden fish. :)

Unfortunately tuna casserole gets repetative really fast if you eat it twice a week so I've had to come up with alternative ways to eat tuna. If anyone has more ideas I'd love to hear them!

So far this week is planned. Tonight I made Tuna Tacos. It turned out pretty good. As you can see from the picture I had 3 tacos but unfortunately hunger got the best of me before I had a chance to take a picture so there are 2.5 tacos pictured. :)

Here is the recipe for your enjoyment! Personally I didn't find it very filling so it might be good to serve it with some veggies or something. :)

Tuna Tacos (serves 2) :

14oz (400g) bag of Preshredded Coleslaw mix

1 - 6oz can Tuna (Skip Jack in water for you pregos :))

1/3 Cup Tomato Salsa

1/3 Cup Mayo

6 Taco Shells

1) In a bowl mix together Tuna and Salsa.

2) In another bowl mix together Coleslaw mix and mayo.

3) Fill Taco shells with Tuna mixture and top with coleslaw mix.

4) Enjoy!

Fried Rice

So we made fried rice for dinner tonight. Reasonably quick, and easy to make and pretty yummy too! I'd like to add that I think it works out to being pretty cheap too! Something I don't think anyone is going to complain about. :)

This recipe probably serves 4 by itself. Maybe more if you serve something with it.

Anyway here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Cup white rice, uncooked

3 Tbsp chopped onion

1/2 Cup chopped carrots

2 cups water

8 beaten eggs

1/4 Cup 2% milk

1/2 Cup peas

2 Tbsp Koyo Wheat Free Tamari

Instructions:

1) In a fry pan or wok cook rice, onion, and carrots in oil over medium heat, stirring often until lightly browned.

2) Slowly add water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

3) Beat eggs in bowl. Stir in milk, peas, and Tamari. Pour over hot rice mixture in fry pan.

4) Cook over medium heat. As mixture begins to thicken, gently draw a spatula across bottom and sides of pan. This allows egg mixture to cook. Continue until eggs are firm.

By Request: GF Lasagna, Bean & Rice Nachos

So a couple of people had requested a couple recipes for pictures of foods I had previously posted to facebook. I had promised them these recipes ages ago, intending to eventually put them on a website but since that website is very far from being done, here are the recipes for those dinners!

The top picture is of Bean & Rice Nachos and the bottom recipe is of Gluten free/Noodle free Lasagna. Both of these recipes were recipes I modified when I first became gluten free so that I wouldn't have to be expensive gluten free ingredients so they are pretty reasonable in price to make. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Lasagna (No noodles)

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

2 eggs

1 jar GF spaghetti sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (check for gluten)

1/4 cup Parmesean Cheese

1 1/2 cups Mozzerella Cheese

Directions:

1) Brown hamburger in a skillet. Let it cool.

2) Mix the eggs and spaghetti sauce until well blended in a bowl. Add the hamburger.

3) Place this evenly on the bottom of a 9 inch square pan.

4) Mix the cottage cheese and Italian seasoning.

5) Spread evenly over hamburger mixture.

6) Layer hamburger mixture and cottage cheese mixture.

7) Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the cottage cheese mixture.

8) Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Cut into squares.

Bean & Rice Nachos (also vegetarian - not vegan)

Ingredients:

2 Cups cooked rice (I use long grain white)

1 small diced onion

2 cups canned kidney beans ( 1 - 15oz can)

Corn Chips (I use Tostitos - for 2 layers - approx 1/2 bag)

1/2 cup Salsa (I use medium Tostitos - Check ingredients for gluten)

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 300F

2) Peel the onions, dice

3) Drain the liquid from the kidney beans

4) Mixed the rice, diced onion, and beans in a bowl.

5) Layer corn chips and half of the rice and bean mixture and repeat.

6) Bake for 15 minutes.

7) While Nachos are cooking, grate 1/2 cup of cheese.

8) Pour salsa over baked Nachos (corn chip mixture), add cheese.

9) Melt cheese on Nacho mixture in oven if desired.

10) Serve warm. Enjoy!

Tuna Casserole & Vegetable Tofu Stirfry

So it's been a few days anyway since I last updated this. I'm not great at getting new posts done. This has always been a problem I've had with blogs but I'm still better at getting recipes up than diary style stuff. :)

So, I thought I'd include a couple recipes in this one. This is from Sunday night and Tuesday night. I wasn't crazy about Monday night so I didn't take a picture of it. My husband, on the other hand said it was "amazing". So if he wants to remake it and take a picture I'll leave that up to him!

Anyway the top picture is of the Tuna Casserole and the lower one is the Vegetable-Tofu Stirfry. Hubby really liked the potato chips on top, personally I wasn't crazy for them but I'll leave that up to you all to decide for yourself :).

Tuna Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Cup GF Rotini (I use Tinkyada Spirals)

2 Tbsp Margarine

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1 (6 oz) can Tuna (170g - I use Clover Leaf Skip Jack - lower mercury)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 Cup Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia)

2 cups 2% Milk

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 cups crushed regular potato chips

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use medium Black Diamond)

Directions:

1) Boil Water for Pasta.

2) Preheat oven to 400F.

3) Grease a shallow casserole dish.

4) Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

5) Drain water from tuna into a small bowl. Whisk cornstarch into tuna water until smooth. Set aside.

6) Stir cream cheese into skillet and cook until melted. Add milk and reserved tuna water. Stirring, bring just to a boil and remove from heat.

7) Mix in peas and tuna, separating tuna into bite size flakes.

8) Stirring frequently, boil pasta for 5 minutes or until al dente. Don't over cook.

9) Drain pasta, and rinse.

10) Toss with sauce and season to taste.

11) Pour into casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.

12) Top with potato chips & cheddar cheese and bake 10 minutes more, or until bubbly around the edges.

13) Enjoy!

Vegetable-Tofu Stirfry

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup water

4 Tsp Tamari (Koyo Wheat Free Tamari)

2 Tsp cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (Glutino)

1 package (10-1/2 ounces) extra-firm tofu, drained (Mori-nu silken tofu)

3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

2 cups dollar sliced carrots

1 green pepper

1/4 cup snow peas

1 head broccoli, chopped

4 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:

1) Combine Water, soy sauce, cornstarch, and bouillion granules in a small bowl. Press tofu lightly between paper towels; cut into 3/4 inch squares.

2) Grease a wok or large skillet with olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoon oil. Add vegetables. Stir-fry 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add cornstarch mixture; stir fry about 1 minute or until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in tofu. Cover; cook about 1 minute or until heated through. Serve over rice.