Super Easy Gluten Free Chili

I love chili and love my crock pot, especially now that I am back to work.  Whoever invented the crock pot deserves a nobel.

So there I was with 10 minutes before I had to leave for work when I remembered that I had promised my family chili for dinner.  I frantically started to rummage the cupboards for the ingredients, here is what I threw together and everybody loved, even my SIL’s picky boyfriend.

Super Easy Gluten Free Chili

2 large cans of tomato sauce

1 large can of Rotel (I had never used Rotel before but grabbed it on sale to try and it worked great.)

1 bag of black beans (If not cooking all day then boil the beans first.)

1 can of corn

1 lb of lean ground beef or turkey

2 heeping tablespoons of minced garlic

1/8 cup Adobo seasoning

1/8 cup chili seasoning

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Cook on high for 8-12 hour. 

 

Cake Truffles Using the Babycakes Machine (Gluten Free & Low Glycemic)

Gluten Free Cake Truffles

For my sons 17th birthday we ventured to make cake pops. I used the chocolate cake recipe from The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam, but with my own slight adaptation. The Babycakes was easy to use, hardest part was filling the cups quickly.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake (also low glycemic)
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1 cup unblanched almond flour
1/2 cup light agave nectar
3 cage free eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbl vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Use a small spoon to fill baking cups to the top. Bake for 3 minutes. Makes about 50 cake balls.

I then used a microwave safe dish to melt a chunk of Dark Baker’s Chocolate that I bought at Woodman’s. Roll the cake ball into the chocolate until covered then place on onto some wax paper to cool. Once all the cake balls were covered I ten melted some peppermint melting chocolate I found at JoAnn’s. Using a spoon I placed a dollop on top of each ball and then sprinkled with chocolate jimmies.

They are so yummy! So good that I would buy them if they were at a shop. The small hint of peppermint is perfect accent.

 

Super Easy Beef Enchiladas

I’ve always been afraid to make enchiladas. They look like a lot of work so I never bothered to try, but i’ve been craving enchiladas and we have a brand new Hispanic grocery store that just opened up down the road…

You will need:
2 cups Black Beans
2 cups Corn
1/2 lb Extra Lean Ground Beef
2 cups Enchilada Sauce (Be sure to check the label since most on the market are not gluten free.)
3 cups Shredded Cheese (I used Colby Jack/Cheddar mix)
12 Crn tortillas (Again, be sure to check the label.)
Optional: Adobo Seasoning (I used to cut the tanginess of the enchilada sauce.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 1 cup of sauce. Spoon a bit of the sauce into a 9’x13′ baking dish, just enough to cover the bottom with a thin layer so that the enchiladas don’t stick. Mix remaining ingredients, except for tortillas and cheese, together in a bowl. Spoon about 1/4″ cup of mixture onto a tortilla, gently roll up, then place into the pan. Once all the tortillas are rolled cover with the remaining sauce and top with cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until warm in the center.

If desired serve with cilantro, salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream.

 

Double Nut Gluten Free Cookie Recipe

What to do when you want peanut butter cookies but don’t have enough peanut butter for the recipe? Find a substitute! In this case I used Nutella to make up the 1 cup.

So the 3 ingredient recipe turns to four…
1/4 cup Nutella
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg

Bake on pizza stone for 15 minutes at 350. If your making smaller cookies check at 13 minutes.

The Nutella gives the cookies a slight chocolate taste and makes the cookies much sweeter than just peanut butter.

 

Chai Spice Scone Mix from Simply Organic

I was looking for a good deal on a whole food vitamin and hyaluronic acid, preferrably from the same site so I could save on shipping, when I stumbled upon iherb.com (use code OGI923 to save $5). I found all kinds of deals, free coffee mug, free enzymes, and more. I got so close to $40 that is was to my benefit to find a few more dollars to spend and get free shipping, so I did a search on the iherb.com site for “gluten free” and thats where I found “Chai Spice Scone Mix from Simply Organic” so I added it to my cart and finished my purchase before I spent even more money!

Fast forward a few days later, my order has arrived and tomorrow there is a ladies event at my church where I know there will not be much that my friend Violet and I can eat so I decide to make the scones as a special treat for us.

At first I thought I was not going to be able to make the scone mix without a trip to the store because the mix called for butter and eggs. Then I noticed a vegan version for the mix that only called for 1/4 cup of ground flax, 2/3 cup water, and the scone mix. Always looking to save calories I loved the idea of the vegan option.

So I threw the three ingredients into a bowl and mixed them together while the oven was preheating. Plopped nine lumps onto my pizza stone and twenty five minutes later I had lovely, slightly browned scones that smelled absolutely delicious!

Always wanting my families opinion I headed my husband and son each a small scone as soon as they were cooled enough to eat and waited for their opinions. As always they were nonchalant and both pretty much said, “Eh, their fine.” So helpful guys, thanks!

I grabbed s scone for myself and sat in front of my computer to play Sims Social (don’t start it’s addictive). Knowing that scones are notoriously dry I made sure to have a tall glass of ice water and once settled bit into the chai spice scone. I love it! It tastes just like chai, although the cloves flavor is a tad strong, I still thoroughly enjoyed the scone and will definitely buy the mix again.

As a side note I noticed that the box also has a recipe for chai pancakes and the Simply Organic products are certified organic and fair trade.

Mix ingredients are:
Organic brown rice flour, Organic cane sugar, Organic sucanat, sea salt, xanthan gum, monocalcium phospate, Organic cornstarch, baking soda, Organic cardamom, Organic cinnamon, Organic ginger, Organic gloves, Organic black pepper.

 

Go Picnic Gluten Free Boxed Lunches

I don’t usually buy boxed lunches or frozen dinners because cost wise per ounce they are expensive and they usually are not very filling. However, a few weeks ago Go Picnic had a $1 sale on some of their boxed lunches because they were short dated. Even with shipping they were less than $2 a meal so I bought 12 of the Steak Nuggets and Cheese.

The boxes came fairly quickly and just in time for a road trip, so as I was packing my in car bag I grabbed 2 of the lunches. Somewhere along the way I got hungry so I grabbed one and was pleased to discover that the box opens up to be a sort of a tray.

Inside I found a small bag of Jack Link’s Jerky, a small bag of Crunchmaster Multiseed crackers, a little thing of Copper Cowbell spreadable cheese, a little bag of Sweet Perry Orchards trailmix, and an Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee along with a plastic knife.

I am not a big fan of spreadable cheese so I started with the cheese just in case it was gross I would have some other flavor to follow. I was surprised to find the cheese was quite yummy and I quickly ran out of cheese but still had a few crackers. The crackers without the cheese are ok, nothing special but not horrible either.

I then moved onto the jerky. I am not a fan of Jack Link’s jerky and the steak nuggets are not any better. So I quickly moved onto the trail mix, which I love. It has big banana chips in it which are one of my favorites plus the ginger peanuts are really good. The trail mix totally makes up for the steak nuggets!

Then onto dessert. I love that there is a little dessert included, which many times I save for when I have a sweets craving. I had never had an Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee before but I love them now.

Amazingly this little lunch is usually filling enough for me. It is great for on the go because I don’t have to worry about refrigeration and it does not take up a lot of room in my bag/purse.

I will probably not order from Go Picnic again though unless they have another short dated sale, just because I cannot justify the cost for my budget.

 

Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix

OMG! Soooo yummy. I love fudgie, gooey brownies and that is exactly what the Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix created. The brownies did not taste gluten free, they were delicious and chocolatey. The mix is made in the USA. The ingredients are listed as all natural: Sugar, Cocoa, Brown Rice Flour, Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Xanthan Gum, Flake Salt, Baking Soda.

The serving size is listed at 15 which is ridiculous since the mix is made in a 9×9 pan. That would be like two bites! Just realize that you are going to want to eat the WHOLE pan.

 

Gluten Free Food at the Wisconsin State Fair

If you live within driving distance of the Wisconsin State Fair you’ve got to take the time to visit. We have an awesome State Fair! There are many gluten free food options at the Wisconsin State Fair. For more information follow this link to read my article published on the Yahoo Network.

 

Tanka Bar from Native American Natural Foods

I love jerky and I love Buffalo meat so when I saw the Tanka Bar at a local store called Health Hut I snatched it up. It was a bit pricey but Buffalo and Jerky both usually are more expensive foods.

Once I read the package I was even more excited to try the Tanka Bar. The package said, “Spicy Pepper Blend: 100% Natural Buffalo Cranberry Bar.” Cranberry too? I just knew the Tanka Bar was going to be yummy!

After my first bite I was not disappointed. The flavors of the spices with the cranberry and buffalo melded together perfectly to make a slightly sweet, yet tart, with just a hint of spiciness meaty treat. I was surprised to find large chunks of cranberries. I figured the cranberry would be ground up into the meat.

The whole Tanka Bar is only 70 calories. With equal amounts of protein and carbs (7 grams) it won’t make a good workout recovery snack, but it does make a great anytime snack. I was starving when I remembered that I had the bar in my purse. The Tanka Bar took away just enough hunger that I could survive until lunch an hour later.

The Tanka Bar is similar to jerky but it is not as tough of a texture. It does however have a lot of sodium like traditional jerky so be careful if you are on a salt restricted diet.

 

Awadhi Aloo Mutter from Super Kohinoor

I enjoy Indian food but pre-packaged Indian food can go way wrong. So I was not sure what to expect of the Awadhi Aloo Mutter. It is a heat and eat item. All you have to do is open the package, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat.

The Awadhi Aloo Mutter package says it is 100% natural, vegetarian, and Kosher. The main ingredients are peas and potatoes. There is no curry so if you don’t like Indian food because of the always present curry you may enjoy the Awadhi Aloo Mutter. It is seasoned with onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, chili powder, coriander, and cumin.

The flavor is to unique to explain. It was strong and slightly spicy. Due to the extreme flavor I think the Awadhi Aloo Mutter could easily be added to rice and chicken without diluting the flavor to much. The entire package is only 333 calories and I was quite full. I almost couldn’t finish the entire package.

I will definitely purchase the Awadhi Aloo Mutter again and at $2.29 a package from Woodman’s I think it is a steal. I look forward to trying the other flavors available from Super Kohinoor.

Just so you know the foods from Super Kohinoor are a product of India. They are also Halal certified and Pareve, whatever that means…