Dutch Apple Pie

 

This is one of my dad's recipes. It's easy and the best part is you don't have to worry about putting a top crust on it.  

You will need:

• Half a recipe of Pie Pastry
• 5 to 6 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 Gluten-free Flour Mixture
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Press the pie pastry dough into a glass pie dish.  Add in sliced apples. Mix brown sugar, margarine, cinnamon and g/f flour mixture in a separate bowl.  Sprinkle over top of apples.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Black Bean Soup

I found this recipe online, and, of course, tweaked it a bit.  It was one of my best ones yet. It was stupid easy - a great work night meal. 

You will need:

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Vegetable oil
• sour cream and cheddar for garnish

 Saute onion, jalapeno, garlic and chili flakes. Once softened add cumin. Add beans, vegetable stock and salsa.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 or 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar. 

Seasoned Nacho Chips (vegan)

This recipe came from my friend Ruth and her daughter Rebekah Joy.  These are super easy to make and really good.

I want to take a moment to give a shout out to Rebekah Joy.  Hi, Rebekah!  Thanks so much for sharing this GREAT recipe with me and all my friends.  You are the best!

Okay, here we go.

You will need:

• 1 bag of plain tortilla chips (I used Tostitos, but Ruth says broken taco shells works nicely too)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice, lime juice or a combination of the two
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

I used lemon juice.  Rebekah Joy prefers lime juice.  If you use Tostitos I would cut the salt in half.  The original recipe did not have pepper in it, but I tried it and it's quite nice. 

Mix everything except chips in a bowl. Spread chips over a foil lined cookie sheet.  I used my stoneware on it's own and it worked great as well.

Sprinkle mixture over chips and bake for 5 to 8 minutes in a 350F oven.  Be careful not to let chips burn.

Spicy Tortilla Bake

Taste testers get your forks ready!  This spicy tortilla bake is a like a Mexican lasagna.  It is a spicy mixture of veggies, black beans with a creamy layer of cream cheese and sour cream.  It makes a ton, so you have enough for a large crowd or to share. This freezes well too.

This takes some time to make, but totally worth it.

You will need:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tub of light cream cheese (I use light, because it's easier to spread)
• 3/4 cup. sour cream
• 2 cups of salsa, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• non-stick cooking spray
• gluten-free tortillas

Make the bean layer:
Drain and wash the beans.  Put in a large bowl and mash some of the beans.  Add in chili powder, olive oil and chili flakes.  Set aside.


Make the cheese layer:
Mix cream cheese and sour cream.  Set aside.

Make the vegetable layer:
Saute onion, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil. Add in green peppers.  When soft add oregano, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 can of corn and 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

Do the assembly:
In a large casserole dish (sprayed well with non-stick cooking spray) start with 2 tortillas.  Spread half of the bean mixture.  Then half of the veggie mixture, and finally, half of the cheese mixture.  Top with 2 more tortillas.  Spread the remaining beans, veggie and cheese mixture in the same order.  End with 2 more tortillas.  Spread 1/2 cup of salsa on top (a bit more if you need it) and shredded cheddar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F with lid on for 30 minutes and with the lid off for another 30 minutes.

Cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Brussel Sprouts

Well, brussel sprouts have never been my fav...in fact I've despised them.  I've come to the conclusion that Rach may be the only person in the world that actually loves them.  Tonight we tried them and I have to admit, they weren't too bad.

You will need:

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of brussel sprouts
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. margarine, melted
• 4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp. gluten-free bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

You can get gluten-free bread crumbs at most places.

Wash brussel sprouts and cut an "x" in the bottom of the sprout at the stem about a 1/8 of inch deep.  This helps them cook more quickly and thoroughly. Put in a medium size pan and cover with water and 1 tsp. of salt.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl holding back 2 tbsp of melted margarine.  Stir those 2 tbsp in with brussel sprouts in a casserole dish.  Spread the other ingredients on top.  Bake at 425F oven for 10 or 15 minutes (the crust will be golden brown).

I actually ate 2 brussel sprouts tonight.  I might become a fan yet.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus was sale this week, so Rach and I decided we had to try something.  This turned out so good. 

You will need:

• A bunch of asparagus
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff, not the powdered stuff from the grocery store)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Wash and trim off tough ends of asparagus. They will snap easily just as the stalk gets tough.

Toss asparagus spears with remaining ingredients.  Bake in 425F oven for 15 minutes.

I had no idea asparagus could be so good.

Great Gluten Free Find from a Great Gluten Free Friend

Some of you know I've been ill the last few days with an aggressive drug reaction (and, yes, I mean prescription drugs).  What started with a minor ear thing, ended up with 4 days off work and me feeling pretty sick. Just so you all know, Medic Alert has some beautiful bracelets (they've come a long way), one of which I will be sporting very soon. 

My friend, Karen, came over tonight to hang with me and keep my miserable self company.  She brought me these yogurt covered pretzels from Glutino.  These are a perfect pair to the chocolate covered ones I bought a few weeks ago.  I just realized I took a picture of the French side.  I'm still a little out of it - but you get the idea.

I'm off to bed. I need a lot of rest to get myself back to normal get back to work on Monday.  I've been home so long, the dog thinks were married!

Thanks, Karen, for the company and cheering me up with this yummy snack.