Baked Tomatoes With Cornbread Crumbs- Gluten Free

Here is another delicious Gluten Free side dish.  The first step is to make the G.F. cornbread. You will use the cornbread to make the Baked Tomato Dish.

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour ( or another G.F. flour that you like)

3/4 cup stone-ground organic cornmeal

3 Tablespoons of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon butter

3 medium eggs 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt) together in a bowl and set aside.

Melt the one tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet or a round baking pan in the oven. Coating the bottom and sides of the pan with the butter.

In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup butter. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Pour batter into the hot skillet or baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 

Baked Tomatoes With Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons minced garlic or 3 cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

30-40 grape or cherry tomatoes 

1 1/2 cups gluten-free cornbread crumbs

2 teaspoons fresh or dried organic basil

1 Teaspoon black pepper

1 Teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Pour a little olive oil onto the bottom of a 9 in square pan

Cut the tomatoes in half. 

In a food processor, process all the garlic till minced if it wasn't already. Process the cornbread until you achieve an even crumb. Add in the  basil, sea salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the crumbs and pulse briefly to distribute.

Place half of the grape tomato halves into the pie plate, split side up, tightly.

Sprinkle with the seasoned cornbread crumbs. Top with the remaining tomato halves, rounded side up. pour a little more olive oil over the tomatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes, until tender.

Serve warm. Makes about 4 servings worth.

Sorry no picture yet. This dish came out of the oven and got eaten immediately. Next time I will get a pic first. Trust me, this dish is delicious!

Artichoke Frittata with Roasted Potatoes - Gluten Free

Wow. This Frittata has so much flavor. This is my first time making one and it was so easy and it turned out great! This would be a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The roasted potatoes are so much better than plain french fries. Try adding sea salt to them. This is a 30 minute of less meal.

Roasted potatoes
Ingredients:

enough potatoes to feed the people that will be eating with you. about 2-6
olive oil to toss potatoes in
salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

Cube potatoes. Place potatoes and 1/4 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Cut a few vent holes. Microwave till soft. About 6 minutes for 3 potatoes. Set oven to broil. Mine was set at 550 degrees. After microwaving potatoes toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for about 6 minutes.

Frittata 
Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 green onions sliced
1 orange pepper ( deseeded ) chopped
1 pt. grape tomatoes
1 can ( 14 oz. ) artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
4 lg. eggs plus 4 lg. egg whites

Directions:

In a nonstick skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add green onions and orange pepper. Cook until golden. 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts. cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl beat together eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. about a tsp each.
Pour eggs over vegetables making sure to distribute well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes.

Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish

If you are on a super cheap budget this is the meal for you. A whole pot comes out to about 6 to 8 dollars and is enough for like 3 meals! Even if you are not on a budget this is a great Irish meal. Super simple to make and only a few ingredients. Try it for yourself and see.  By the way, I am not a cabbage fan but I do like this meal.


Ingredients
One head of cabbage diced
1/2 an onion diced
1 package of beef country sausage cut into slices
5 - 6 regular potatoes chunked
Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
Added water till it is about 3/4 of the way to the top of the ingredients after you have put cabbage, potatoes, and onion in pot.

Directions
In a large pot layer potatoes on the bottom, then cabbage, then onions.  Add your water and spices. Cook on low till cabbage cooks down and potatoes are soft. Add the sausage about 10 minutes before it is done cooking.

What I am eating, March 2012

February food blogging went very well. I am hoping with the warmer weather that March will bring that it will motivate me to continue to eat healthy. I am hoping to add a few new recipes also. So far this year I have not been sick; I give the praise to the Lord for this blessing and for the opportunity to eat healthier than I have before . I also have had plenty of energy for all the activity I do.

Sunday 2-25-12
So I haven't added any posts in a while. I have been having a little bit of trouble out of my allergies for the past 2 weeks. Basically what I have been doing for the last 2 weeks is juicing for two meals and eating one solid meal.  Lots of soups and fruit. I tried local honey with mint tea and that seems to help also. So far right now I feel great.  I am hoping that it is over for the year! I really think doing all the vegetable juicing helped a ton; oh, and I prayed A LOT! That probably helped the most.

Friday 3-16-12
Breakfast - juice
Snack - more juice
Lunch - Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish
Dinner -

Thursday 3-15-12
Breakfast - juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower
snack - Dates as a Snack
Dinner - Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish made with cabbage, potatoes, and country sausage ( beef)

Wednesday 3-14-12
Breakfast - juice
Snack - more juice
Lunch - organic vegetable soup
Dinner - Fish tacos with french fries

Tuesday 3-13-12
I started to get a sore throat last night from allergies so I decided to eat vegan and gluten free today. This should be easier for my body to digest therefore leaving extra energy to fight off this funk!
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, kale, beet juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower. strawberries
Snack - baked veggie chips
Dinner - Gluten Free veggie patty ( mostly made out of quinoa)  with sweet potato tater tots

Monday 3-12-12
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, apple, beet juice
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
snack - hummus with veggies
Dinner -

Sunday 3-11-12
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, apple, beet juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower.
Snack - jumbo raisins and banana chips
Dinner - one crab cake ( they were out of salmon patties at Gerst Haus) mashed potatoes, baked beans, and corn bread.

Saturday 3-10-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, kale, apple juice
Lunch - hummus and veggies
Dinner - Gluten Free pizza with turkey pepperonis, pineapple, and olives. I bought the pre-made thin crusts and added the toppings I like. It was so good!!

Friday 3-9-12
Breakfast - celery, kale, beet, apple juice
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
Snack - banana chips
Dinner - Salad with quinoa and blackened mahi

Thursday 3-8-12
Breakfast - carrot, apple, celery, beet, pineapple juice
Snack - cashews and raisins
Lunch/Dinner - late lunch early dinner. Lemon pepper trout with mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday 3-6-12
Breakfast - kale, carrot, beet, pineapple, apple and celery juice
Snack - banana chips, cashews
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
snack - hummus with cauliflower and baby carrots
Dinner - salad with blackened mahi
Dessert - we splurged and had a mini date night and got some frozen yogurt!

Monday 3-5-12
Breakfast - Homemade orange juice and Gluten free cereal
Lunch - chicken sandwich on gluten free bread. Hummus with cauliflower and baby carrots
Snack - nuts and jumbo raisins
Dinner - salad and veggie chips

Sunday 3-4-12
Breakfast - Kale, carrot, apple juice
Lunch - a few ravioli and some nuts
Dinner -

Saturday 3-3-12
Breakfast - Organic Cara orange
Lunch - Veggie chips
Dinner - portobella mushroom and tilapia breaded in organic cornmeal
Snack- We got our new juicer tonight and had to try it. We juiced a few Cara Cara navel oranges. The best orange juice I have ever had!

Friday 3-2-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice
Snack - dates
Lunch - salad with a hard boiled egg and pumpkin seeds
Dinner - Prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with asiago cheese over risotto. Green beans and a house salad. This was the catered meal at a wedding we went to at Union Station. 


Thursday 3-1-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice
Snack- Blueberries and banana chips
Lunch - salad with blackened Mahi
Dinner - RAW Flax/Chia Crackers pizzas. I put a scoop of tomato sauce and a small slice of cheddar on top of the crackers. Topped it with half on an olive.
Dessert - 2 kiwi's

Taco Night!

I really enjoy Taco Night. It is one of my favorite meals to have. It is really easy to prepare and there seems to always be leftovers for lunch the next day.

Some items that I include for my tacos

Ground Deer meat
Rice
Black beans
refried beans
olives
salsa
lettuce
cheese
tomatoes
onions

The possibilities are endless!

What I am eating. Feb. 2012

I think I am going to start keeping a blog record of the foods that I am eating on a day to day basis. I will try to post as often as I can and let you know how I am doing and how it is making me feel. My number one goal is to not get sick. So far so good! I also want to keep my energy levels high. When I gave up eating wheat, processed sugar, and most animal products I have had so much more energy and I haven't gotten sick in a while!



Wednesday 2-29-12
Breakfast - Kale and fruit smoothie
Snack - blueberries and organic banana chips
Lunch - left over bean nachos
Dinner - salad with blackened Mahi
Dessert - popcorn

Tuesday 2-28-12
Breakfast - Gluten Free toast with organic strawberry preserves
Lunch - Potato and corn chowder
Snack - Blueberries
Dinner - Bean nachos with guacamole and tomatoes
Dessert - spoonful of coconut oil

Monday 2-27-12
Breakfast - Fruit smoothy
Lunch - Bean and rice dip with veggy chips.  Baby Carrots
Snack - blueberries
Dinner - Corn and potato chowder

Thursday 2-23-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice
Snack - cashews and jumbo raisins
Lunch - leftover tacos
Dinner - Meatloaf Cupcakes

Wednesday 2-22-12
Breakfast - G.F. cereal and a cup of coconut water
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
snack - ice crackers
Dinner  - Taco night

Tuesday 2-21-12
Breakfast - RAW Banana Sandwich
Lunch - salad with blackened mahi on top.
Snack- walnuts and rice cakes
Dinner - RAW Flax/Chia Crackers with extra sharp cheddar cheese. just a little. Vegetable soup
Dessert - popcorn
I am fasting chocolate today. I usually have a piece of chocolate everyday because it is my weakness. I have decided to fast it and see how it goes. Whenever I get the craving to eat some chocolate I will pray instead!!

Wednesday 2-15-12
Breakfast - celery, carrot, apple juice
Snack - nuts
Lunch - left over spaghetti and baby carrots
Snack - rice cakes
Dinner - Organic vegetable soup
Dessert - 2 kiwi's

Tuesday 2-14-12 ( Valentines Day )
Breakfast - celery, carrot, apple juice
Lunch -  RAW Banana Sandwich , baby carrots, blueberries
snack - mini rice cakes
Dinner - spaghetti with ground deer and olives. Salad.
Since I am wheat sensitive I usually don't eat any. I have been doing a little experiment with probiotics to see if they help me digest wheat products when I do eat them. If I eat something with wheat I have been taking one serving of probiotics after and so far it has worked to help me digest the wheat without the horrible cramps that I would normally have. Just a suggestion to those who have have a hard time digesting some foods.
Dessert - strawberries and banana's dipped in Dark chocolate

Sunday 2-12-12
Breakfast - celery, carrot, apple juice
Brunch - RAW Banana Sandwich
Lunch - salad with blackened mahi and quinoa
Snack - blueberries
Dinner -

Saturday 2-11-12 
Breakfast - Celery, carrot, apple juice.
Lunch - Salad with blackened salmon and quinoa
Dinner - Jambalaya

Friday 2-10-12
Breakfast - G.F. cereal with rice milk. Coconut water
Snack - some nuts and dried fruit
Lunch - RAW Flax/Chia Crackers
Snack - walnut trail mix my husband put together for me. Walnuts, cashews, jumbo raisins, pumpkin seeds, and chocolate chips. It was a really good combination
Went to the rock climbing gym after work
Dinner - Millers Cafe in Christiana. If you have never been, you should definitely go. I have Salmon Patties, corn nuggets, mashed potatoes, and a couple of hushpuppies.

Thursday 2-9-12
Breakfast - G.F cereal with rice milk. A cup of coconut water
Snack - BBQ poped potato chips from Trader Joe's. So good you will want to eat the whole bag
Lunch - salad and left over corn and potato chowder. If I make a large pot of soup or chili, I will usually freeze some in glass containers for lunches or dinners in the near future.
Went to the gym after work.
Dinner - RAW Banana Sandwich .. Mmmmmm so good!

Wednesday 2-8-12
Breakfast - Carrot, celery, apple juice with added coconut water
Lunch - left over jambalaya
Snack - rice crackers and nuts
Went to the rock climbing gym after work
Dinner - salad with blackened salmon

Tuesday 2-7-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice. RAW Banana Sandwich
Snack - nuts and dried fruit
Lunch - Leftover bean and deer with carrot sticks. I know this sounds weird but it was really good. Like carrots and hummus. It was refried beans, black beans, ground deer meat, and tomatoes and taoc seasoning.
Dinner - Jambalaya

Sunday 2-5-12
Breakfast - carrot, apple, celery juice...Mmmmm
Snack - baked rice crackers
Lunch - skipped and went to the rock climbing gym. Didn't skip lunch on purpose I guess I was just full enough from my juice and crackers.
Dinner - Deer nachos; blue corn chips, black beans, refried beans, lettuce, rice, and ground deer meat

RAW Banana Sandwich are on the way. I am making the bread for these in the dehydrator right now!!! 

Saturday 2-4-12
Breakfast - G.F. cereal with blueberries
Snack - raisins and cashews
Lunch - Salomon patties (homemade) with mashed potatoes and corn
Dinner - Salad Bar at Jason's Deli.

Thursday 2-2-12
Breakfast - bowl of fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi
Lunch - Gerst Haus; amazingly delicious. Salmon cakes with mashed potatoes and baked beans. It also comes with a small salad and cornbread cakes. Not really cake, like a pancake made out of cornbread batter.
Dinner - left overs from dinner
***Went to Trader Joe's today and got a ton of fantastic healthy foods. I mostly got stuff for my snacks and lunches. If you get a chance to shop at a Trader Joe's sometime I would highly recommend it. It is like a whole foods grocery store with normal grocery store prices. ;-)

Wednesday 2-1-12
Breakfast - Green Juice, Gluten Free cereal with blueberries
Snack - granola bar
Lunch - vegetable soup with vegetable crackers
Dinner - Blackened Salomon on top of salad
I put the some RAW Flax/Chia Crackers and pineapple slices in the dehydrator. They should be done tomorrow. They will make great snacks!

Tuesday 1-31-12
Breakfast - Green Juice
1 hour of gym before work
Snack - all natural rice cakes
Lunch - Salad with yellow rice
Snack - fruit: strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, banana
Lunch - Organic Vegetable soup
Monday 1-30-12
Breakfast - Green Juice
Snack - cashews and raisins
Lunch - left over potato and corn chowder, with fresh fruit; strawberries, kiwi, banana, and blueberries
Dinner - We have dinner every Monday at our church. Chicken, rice, baked vegetable, salad. I splurged and had a dessert. It was pudding with whip topping and berries.
Extra Special Snack - It was a special day so my husband made me Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries!! mmmmmm. one of my favorites!!!

Saturday 1-28-12
Breakfast- Gluten Free Cereal with rice milk
Lunch - A salad with chopped up cauliflower and broccoli on it.
Snack - RAW dates
Dinner - potato and corn chowder with added vegetables.
Dessert - RAW cacao peanut butter cups

I am not a perfect eater by any means but I do try to eat healthy everyday. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

Stuffed Eggplant

This was a recipe that I came up with when I needed to use the eggplant in the refrigerator.  Lots of flavors. The tomatoes make the whole thing I think.

Ingredients

• 2 (1 pound) eggplants or 4 small eggplants
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped black olives
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 12 slices tomato
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut eggplant in half, scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Take the inside flesh that you just scooped out and chop finely. 
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chopped eggplant for about 1 minute. Stir in onion, garlic, and parsley, and cook until tender. Transfer to a large bowl, and mix in bread crumbs, 1/2 cup cheese, chopped olives, and lemon juice. Season with basil, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stuff into eggplant shells.
3. Top stuffed eggplants with overlapping slices of tomato. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese, and drizzle with remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Place on baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. May need to be cooked longer. Cook until eggplant is very soft. 

Meatloaf Cupcakes

My husbands Aunt made us meatloaf one day a long time ago and it was the only meatloaf that I ever liked. This recipe is the one that she used. I made this meal for my husband and he gave it a 10 out of 10. Not too bad for my first time making meatloaf.

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Icing

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup 
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup finely crushed crackers
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• cooking spray

Preparation

1. preheat over to 350 degrees
2. Sautee onions, carrots, garlic, and oregano in olive oil for a few minutes. let cool.
3. Put all other ingredients in a bowl and add onion mixture
4. Spoon mixture into 12 lined and sprayed baking cups. Top each with some ketchup then bake for 25-30 minutes.

Mashed Potato Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (about 4 medium) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 3 tbsp vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp light butter
• kosher salt to taste
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme

Preparation

Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan. Add remaining ingredients. Using a masher, mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can pipe your mashed potato's on your meatloaf or just have then as a side. Add a green vegetable like baked zucchini and you will have a great meal. 

Southwestern Crock Pot Chicken

I made this dish with the expectation that it would be just ok. Like a 6 or 7 out of 10. I was greatly surprised at how flavorful and filling this dish was. I rate it a 10. I will definitely make it again. This would be a great dinner option with enough left over to freeze for another meal or left overs the next day. Let your crock pot make you dinner for a change. Put everything in it except the rice and let it cook all day while you are doing something else!

Ingredients

• (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast or about 3-4 large pieces
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 12 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14 oz can vegetable broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp salt 

Preparation

Combine vegetable broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving shred chicken and stir in.

 Serve over rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Thanks to some really great family members, I am able to make these sun-dried tomatoes straight from the garden.

Making Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Instructions

1. Cut the tomatoes into fourths or eighths lengthwise.
2. Cut out the tough part around the stem and any bruised or soft parts.
3. You can remove the seeds if you would like
4. Place pieces on dehydrator. Spread them out so that they don't touch
5. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 140 degrees then turn temperatur to 112 degrees for 4-8 hours

How to tell when they are done

The amount of time it takes depends on the water content of the tomatoes, the thickness of the slices, and how well the air is able to circulate around them. When done, the tomatoes should be flexible, like a raisin from a fresh bag; not brittle. Most describe them as leathery with a deep red color, without free water or a tacky feeling.

Portabella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Instructions

1. Prepare any type of pasta you would like. I chose bow-tie pasta.
2. Sautee portabella mushrooms in Dales or Allegro type marinade.
3. Take 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, 1 Tbsp. basil, and 1/2 cup of olive oil and place in a food procecor. Chop until small pieces.
4. Mix mushrooms, pasta, and sun-dried tomato mixture. Add parmesan on top. Serve warm.

Venison and squash casserole

Here is another meal idea.

Venison - back strip cut into thin slices, marinated, and grilled
Squash Casserole - topped with cheese and crackers
Baked beans