Sunday, May 31, 2015

Gluten Free Tater Tot Casserole

Gluten Free Tater Tot Casserole Photo

Ever since I developed my recipe for gluten free cream of chicken soup, I've been looking for easy dinner recipes to use it in. Like my gluten free creamy chicken casserole. Well, here is another classic recipe that is now easily made gluten-free: gluten free tater tot casserole.

Maybe you had it as a kid, maybe you didn't. Either way, you should definitely make it now.

It is so easy to make! First make the gluten-free condensed cream soup (don't worry, it only takes about 5 minutes to mix up on the stove), but add mushrooms! Ta-da, now you have gluten-free condensed cream of mushroom soup.

Gluten Free Tater Tot Casserole Picture

Brown off a pound of ground beef (or ground turkey) with some chopped onion and then drain off all the extra fat. Mix in some green beans, and the cream of mushroom soup. Then all you have to do it pour it into your favorite casserole dish and top it with some frozen tater-tots.

Not all tater-tots are gluten-free, so be sure to select some that are. If they are gluten-free they should be clearly labeled.

All that is left is to bake your casserole until the tater-tots are nice and brown and the filling is all bubbly. And there you have it, a super easy, filling, gluten-free tater-tot casserole recipe.

Gluten Free Tater Tot Casserole Image

Don't be afraid to customize this recipe! Add some shredded cheese on top of the tater-tots, or add some sweet corn to the filling. Or skip the green beans. Or add some peas.

Tater-tot casserole is kind of like an easier version of the classic shepherd's pie. Creamy, meaty, savory filling topped with some good ole potatoes. This is an instant favorite, right up there with my gluten-free enchiladas and one pan mac 'n' cheese. Nothing wrong with a nice healthy helping of comfort food!

If I understand correctly, in some regions it is called tater tot hot dish instead of tater tot casserole. Whatever you call it, in the words of my toddler it is "a tasty dinner."

Ingredients

  • a double batch gluten free cream of chicken soup, with cream of mushroom option
  • 1 pound ground beef, or turkey
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 15 ounce can green beans, or approximately 2 cups frozen
  • 3 1/2 cups gluten free tater tots, approximately

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef and the onions. Drain off the fat.
  3. Add the gluten-free cream of mushroom soup, and the green beans and stir to combine.
  4. Pour into a shallow casserole dish, and top with the frozen tater-tots.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the tater-tots are golden and the filling is bubbly.

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Gluten Free Italian Stuffed Peppers

Gluten Free Italian Stuffed Peppers Photo

Have you started planting a garden this year? The season is here and I am beyond ecstatic. Of course, this is the first year in a long time that we will not be planting a garden; however, that does not mean I will not be basking in all the garden fresh produce.

We happen to have a wonderful fresh market nearby and also a farmers market. I absolutely love visiting both each week and loading up on fresh produce. There is something about that fresh produce that just makes my heart happy. It honestly makes me feel healthy just looking at it, although, I may be eating a handful of chocolate chips while looking at it. It counts, right?

Gluten Free Italian Stuffed Peppers Picture

One of my favorite meals to make during the peak of gardening season is stuffed peppers. In the past, our garden would always be stocked full of green bell peppers, so it was only natural to stuff those peppers and bake them up into a delicious meal.

Gluten Free Italian Stuffed Peppers Image

Each year, I always tried different variations of stuffed peppers to keep them fun and exciting. This past week I tried gluten free Italian stuffed peppers. These peppers were made with Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and parsley, tossed with a little bit of olive oil. I even added in some Parmesan cheese. A few other additions that could be added are fresh tomatoes or sweet peppers too.

Gluten Free Italian Stuffed Peppers Pic

Once I had the meat mixture ready to go, I added in a cup of cooked rice, and then stuffed the peppers. I topped each pepper with a sprinkle of shredded Italian cheese; lastly I baked them in the oven. I love that the cheese comes out slightly browned and crispy. The peppers are tender and perfect for a wonderful light meal.

We even like to pair ours with fresh sweet corn.

Are you ready for gardening season? What do you plant this time of year?

Ingredients

  • 4 green bell peppers
  • 1 pound mild ground italian sausage
  • 1/4 cup diced white onion
  • 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove crushed garlic
  • 1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • italian shredded cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut the tops off the peppers, clean them out and place them in a square or round dish until ready to stuff.
  3. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray, then place the Italian sausage in the skillet and brown.
  4. Once the sausage is nearly browned, add in the onion, mushrooms, parsley, and olive oil. Mix in the garlic and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes or until veggies are soft. Once the veggies are soft, mix in the cooked rice.
  6. Spoon the mixture into each pepper, topping with Italian Shredded Cheese.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
  8. Serve. 

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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Avocado Banana Bread

Avocado Banana Bread Photo

What's a girl to do when she's got four very black, overripe bananas in her refrigerator along with an almost too ripe avocado? She makes up a new recipe out of thin air!!

One of my favorite things to do is to play with new ingredients and old recipes so you have the proportions correct. Although you will certainly have some flops along the way, the experiments are always so much fun, and when they work out like this one did, it's all worth while!

Think of it this way - avocados are basically super creamy natural healthy fat. Swapping the butter in a recipe for this green treat is a fantastic way to start out. The sweetness of the ripe bananas also helps you use less sugar, double bonus without any tastiness lost! Can I get a woot woot!??!

Avocado Banana Bread Picture

Enough celebrating - remember when we made some awesome avocado chocolate chip cookies? Totally delicious, right!? This is the same idea, but it loaf form. Super moist inside with a fabulous crispy chewy crust. Best of both worlds!

I added in a few chocolate chips along with some cinnamon chips. Where do you buy cinnamon chips, you might be wondering? I've bought them through King Arthur Flour's website, but no worries if you can't get your hands on a bag, just sub in on teaspoon of cinnamon and double up on the chocolate chips. I mean no one is going to complain about some extra chocolate chips, am I right?

I must admit I could probably have used less milk so this didn't have to bake as long, but it was so very good, I think it was worth the wait. I'll give it another go and make sure to let you guys know if we can play with the proportions to bring the cook time down.

Chow!

Ingredients

For the Bread:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 avocado, smashed
  • 4 small bananas
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon chips
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, bittersweet
For the Topping:
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
  3. Beat together avocado, bananas, sugars and vanilla.
  4. Add 1/3 of the dry to the wet, alternate with milk until everything is lightly folded together.
  5. Fold in chips before spooning into a greased 8.5" loaf pan.
  6. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, then drop temperature to 350°F and continue baking an additional 45 minute, or until tester comes out clean.

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Blueberry Bourbon Buckle

Blueberry Bourbon Buckle Photo

Blueberries and bourbon.

Is there a better combination than the two of those? The oaky vanilla caramel notes of bourbon are just like a gift to sweet and sometimes tart blueberries. For most people bourbon is their winter drink, but it's an all-year round for me and I especially love it paired with fruit. They just scream to be soaked in it and then tossed into a cake or mashed into a cocktail.

Blueberry Bourbon Buckle Picture

I wait all year for berry season, not just to eat my weight in it but to have fun with what cocktails and desserts and I can make with them. For the longest time I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to make a bourbon scented blueberry buckle, but didn't really know what a buckle was.

Blueberry Bourbon Buckle Image

A quick google search gave me the answer. It's a crumb cake with fruit. Tell me, why don't you just call it that? I've been eating "buckles" all my life, I guess us New Yorkers just prefer to call it crumb cake! It also turns out that I had baked up something similar in my first few months of blogging. I'd share it with you, but I don't want to frighten you away with those horrid photos. Let's just say this is a vastly improved version of that blueberry muffin bar I baked nearly 4 years ago.

Blueberry Bourbon Buckle Pic

This buckle, though, is more about the blueberries than the cake part - and well, the crumb. You have to have the crumb topping! This is the type of cake you need after you go blueberry picking and wonder what you are going to do with the bounty. This is also the type of cake to have around for a leisurely brunch with friends and a sweet treat is needed at the end. 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons, unbleached
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • lemon zest, from 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon, divided
  • 3 cups fresh blueberries, approximately 18 ounces
For the Streusel:
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Heat your oven to 350°F.
  2. In a small bowl place 1 cup of blueberries and mash them with the back of a fork and add 1 tablespoon bourbon. Mix together and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
  4. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, then vanilla and lemon zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spoon.
  5. Mix in half the flour until combined, then half the milk and remaining 2 tablespoons bourbon. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk.
  6. Add the remaining blueberries to the bourbon blueberry mix and toss in 2 tablespoons of flour to coat.
  7. With a spoon, gently fold in all the blueberries so that they are coated.
  8. Pour the batter in a large cast iron skillet.

For the Streusel Topping:

  1. In a small bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the mix. Using your hands mix it together to form small clumps and add it to the top of your buckle batter.
  2. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick insert in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  3. Let cool completely before serving.
  4. The cake is best served the day it's made. If storing, store in a flat even layer in an airtight container for 1-2 days. 

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