dairy-free spaghetti and meatballs

I loved making this meal on my dairy-free diet because I always felt so satisfied after eating it. It is delicious! To make it more allergy-friendly, you could substitute rice pasta. Even better, spaghetti squash.

Meatballs: I can’t take credit for my meatballs. I use the meatballs recipe here at Speedbump Kitchen. If you are wheat-free, omit the bread crumbs. Make sure you use lots of oil when you saute the onion.

Spaghetti Sauce:

Ingredients:

– I use a basic jarred pasta sauce as my base.

– onion

– red or green pepper

– 4 shredded carrots

– garlic

– crushed red pepper

-sugar

– olive oil

Instructions:

Saute chopped onion in olive oil. Add chopped peppers after a minute or two. Saute until soft. Add salt and pepper generously along with a few cloves of pressed garlic. Add shredded carrot and cook just until it turns a bright orange color. Add jarred spaghetti sauce and a spoonful of sugar, simmer for 20 minutes, and then season to taste. Add meatballs and spoon over your pasta or spaghetti sauce. Serve with a balsamic-dressed salad!

– meatballs (see above)

Julie’s Peach-Berry Crumble

My sister Julie is my culinary hero. Everytime I come over, there is something delicious carmelizing in the oven, simmering on the stove, or out on the counter to taste. And whenever I try to duplicate, it never quite works. She is a great chef, but, as this dish shows (I just tried it), a great baker too!

Peach-Berry Crumble Recipe

Filling:

4 – 6 peaches, sliced

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup Quaker Oats

2 Tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour (*Rice flour or cornstarch may be substituted)

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat over to 365.  Toss sliced peaches, blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a bowl. Pour into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix flour, oats, and brown sugar together. Drizzle in olive oil and combine together with your fingers until nice and crumbly. Sprinkle crumbles all over fruit and press down with your hand. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake covered for 35 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes. Serve hot with dairy-free ice cream.

dairy-free homemade cream of mushroom soup

Listen, I’m not saying I’m not a little disgusted by the plopped out cold Campbell’s cream of mushroom. Would I ever eat it alone? NEVER. however, it unfortunately pops in a few rather yummy-sounding (to casserole-loving me anyway) recipes. And then comes the dilemma. Because, of course, cream of mushroom has three strikes in our household. One, it has MSG. Gross. me. out. Two, it has enough sodium for two days. If I were going to eat that much salt,  HELLO, I’d have a big mac. And three, of course, it has milk. So I usually just find a new recipe. But the other day I was craving pork chops, and I was craving SMOTHERED pork chops. With cream of mushroom soup. So I invented a homemade, dairy-free one! Thought it might be useful for anyone else who either doesn’t like the commercial cream-of-mushroom or needs it allergy-friendly. It was great!

{See below for mushroom-topped pork chop recipe.}

Ingredients:

• a carton of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• one onion, sliced thinly (or diced, if you prefer)
• rice milk 1-2 cups
• 1 T flour or cornstarch, whichever you’d prefer
• olive oil
• dried thyme, oregano, and garlic
• 2 T dairy-free butter
• 1/2 c. organic chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

• thoroughly wash mushrooms
• drizzle olive oil in pan and heat until shimmering
• saute mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper. They should be cooked until very soft.
• Add 1/2 t dried thyme, oregano, and garlic.
• Add butter to middle of pan. When melted, mix in flour. Use wisk to mix it in.
• Add chicken broth and rice milk. Cook for 8 minutes or so until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe suggestion: I browned my pork chops for five minutes on each side in olive oil, covered in foil, prepared my mushroom sauce and poured on top. We all enjoyed it!

 

Recipe Review: Ina Garten’s White Bean Soup

This week I made this recipe from Ina Garten. My little guy loved it, and so did my landlords (also known as my parents). I served it with La Brea organic wheat bread and a delicious salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette(see below for recipe). Note: I used canned beans. I used four cans of them, and only 4 cups of chicken stock. Also, SOO much easier with an immersion blender. I am almost tempted to ask for one for my birthday.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white cannellini beans
• 4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

 

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mix equal parts good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup (the real, expensive kind . Add salt and pepper to taste. Yum!

recipe review: Rachel Ray’s Fall Pork Chops with Cider

This allergy-friendly recipe was DELICIOUS. Unfortunately, pork chops are my nemesis. All I will say is to make sure you cook them for MORE than this recipe says and make sure they are done . I will leave it at that. But truly, this was such a wonderful recipe and perfect for fall.  Way to go, Rachel. Oh, and I’ll also add this. It’s probably better for a night you will have an extra hand with kids, if you have kids. It is a little time-intesive just at the very end. But very worth it!

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• Salt
• 4 bone-in pork chops, 1-inch thick
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, yellow or red, thinly sliced
• 2 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons butter (dairy-free)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 rounded tablespoons orange marmalade

• Directions

  In a medium pot add sweet potatoes and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until fork tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

  Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork 5 minutes on the first side until deeply golden, turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes more with a loose foil tent over the pan. Remove cooked chops to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add another turn of the pan of olive oil, add the onions and apples. Season with salt, pepper and thyme and cook until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Douse with juice of a lemon and remove onions and apples to a bowl; keep warm.

  Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, melt then whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in cider and 1 cup of stock. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Thicken 4 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

  Drain cooked sweet potatoes and return pan to stove. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and combine with marmalade and 1 cup stock. Add potatoes and mash, season with salt and pepper.

  Serve chop covered with apples and onions, gravy poured down, and sweet potatoes aside.

Recipe Review: Giada’s Lentil Soup

You are not alone if the words “lentil soup” don’t exactly make you start salivating. Honestly, I decided make Giada’s Lentil soup because every magazine I’ve picked up in the last month has had some feature on the stupid things and how they revolutionize your health. So I felt obligated. Giada’s recipe had over 500 RAVE reviews, which made me a little more hopeful. And honestly, it was delicious. Not “delicious,” like, healthy/delicious. Reeeally, good! I am happy to pass this along. A few notes. She calls for “a pound bag, or 1 1/4 c cup of lentils.” Well I don’t know if bags are sized differently in Italy or California or wherever Giada is making up her lentils, but here in NC a pound bag is more like THREE 1/4 cup lentils. I only used 1 1/4 c. and it was PLENTY of lentils. I soaked them overnight. One of the reviews said to make sure you give the tomatoes plenty of time to “break down.”  I did this. Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe!

Giada’s Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
• 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan (I omited)

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Contest Winning Pulled Beef BBQ

I owe my cousin Rebecca Wetzel the credit for many good things in life. She introduced me to the world’s best dog, the dachshund. She knows how to make nachos, and the best toppings for pizza. When I wondered what the difference between conservatives and liberals was, she was the first person I asked. (And her tenth-grade explanation was probably better than any I would articulate now.) She pioneered the path to Grove City College, where I found my closest friends, met my husband, and – in about every way – grew up. She is a hero of mine for many reasons, and her culinary art is just cheese on the fries. (Get it? Icing on the cake?)

Rebecca submitted two of her all-star recipes for my blog’s recent recipe contest. This Pulled Beef Barbeque recipe is terrific. I think the first time I had it was in Rebecca’s apartment where it had been simmering for a few hours. If I remember correctly, I ate it for about three meals that day. Here are Rebecca’s notes.

This came from Taste of Home about 18 yes ago or so. It is designed to be eaten on rolls as a sandwich, but if allergies prevent that, it would be good straight of the plate, too. This can be made ahead of time. It reheats very well, especially in a crock pot.

4 lbs chuck roast (it can be in more than one piece)
3 Tbs cooking oil
2 large onions, minced
1 cup ketchup
1 cup beef broth
2/3 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs worchestire sauce
2 Tbs yellow mustard
2 Tbs molasses
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper

Add the oil to a deep skillet and brown the beef on all sides. Remove the beef and place into a roasting pan. Add all other ingredients to the skillet. Bring to a oil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour this liquid over the beef. Cover and roast at 325 for 2 hours. Flip beef over. Cover and roast for another 2 hours. It should be tender enough to easily pull apart with a fork Remove the meat from the roaster and shred. Put the shredded beef back into the liquid and mix together.

I highly recommend this recipe. Goes great for Saturday football days! Thanks for passing along, Rebecca!

top ten things to do with a crock pot

Is there really anything more wonderful that walking in the house, starving, and smelling something amazing simmering in crock pot? There probably is, but you get the point. Here are some ideas to use that perfect fall appliance  

1. Crock-pot Mexican Chicken, served over rice on tortillas. Highly recommend!
2. Old Timey Beef Stew – Paula Deen’s recipe, in the crock pot.
3. Pasta Fagioli via crock pot – serve with italian salad and rolls, if you wish.
4. Becky Lee’s Pulled Beef Barbeque – my blog’s winning recipe!!! Delish!
5. Slow Cooker Pot Roast
6. Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken – I recently made this and it is soooo good. Melts in your mouth!
7. Roasted White Beans – this is a knock-off dish from a local restaurant called Zoe’s. You might think, beans, that’s it? Waste of a dish? But nooooo, trust me. These beans are so good. You will eat them on tortillas, aside chicken, as a dip for corn chips, out of the bowl, and, probably, for dessert later. They are great. Just follow the recipe except with a crock-pot. Make sure you use enough olive oil. *Recipe coming soon* (or ask my sister Julie:)
8. Turkey Breast – Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook until tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and frozen green beans.
9. Black Bean Chili – the classic crock pot dish, with a twist.
10. Sweet and Sour Party Meatballs – {omit eggs and substitute rice milk, and you have the perfect – allergy free – party dish!}