Banana Bread Waffles(Gluten Free and Wheat Version)

This is a slight variation from my Banana Bread Pancake Roll.....my kids requested a batch of waffles for the freezer for easy AM breakfast so I decided to convert it.

You can add a sprinkling of bacon bits to the tops of the waffles right after pouring on the iron if you like....yummy!



1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 TB tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
OR
3 cups flour(all purpose, whole wheat pastry, or any combo you like)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ground flax (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup milk(dairy or dairy alternative, I used flax milk this time around)

1 large egg*
4 large overripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup oil(coconut, canola, vegetable, even melted butter is fine)

1/2 TB vanilla extract

*if you are egg free you can omit it, but  take 1 TB of ground flax(you can take it straight from the 1/2 cup if you are using it, no need for extra) and combine it with 2 TB warm water, stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes, it will becomes slightly gelatinous and is a fine egg replacement.

Preheat your waffle iron per manufacturers instructions(and grease if necessary)

Combine flours and remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl, whisk well to combine.

In another bowl combine bananas, milk, egg oil and vanilla, mix well.

Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently to combine, lumps are ok, dont overmix!

Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup batter onto hot waffle iron(amount will depend greatly on your iron, I have an old relic from the 70's (which I LOVE) so it makes 4- 1/4 cup waffles at a time.

Cook according to your iron instructions and enjoy!

I chill them, then wrap them in pairs and freeze them for easy breakfasts....pop them in the toaster just like an "Eggo"

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I found a recipe for cauliflower pizza crust a while back but never got around to using it. I changed it a little to suit our preferences and it turned out very delicious!!! Its pretty small though, I didnt want to go TOO thin on the crust so I used a 8 x 11 pan, I think it could be stretched to a 9 x 13 though.... It was too small for a dinner, so we ended up eating it for lunch. Next time I will double it, but definetly a keeper. It was a big hit with the kids!





3 cups(approx 1 medium head) shredded cauliflower (food processor, vitamix, cheese grater ETC)

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder(more or less to taste)
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheese(flavor of your choice)

Preheat oven to 275.
On a parchment paper lined pan spread the 3 cups shredded cauliflower, sprinkle with a little salt.
Slowly bake the cauliflower until it is very tender stirring around as needed to prevent burning .....time with be variable depending on your method of shredding.






Kick the oven heat up to 450

Cool the cauliflower and place in a large bowl...add remaining ingredients except eggs and stir vigorously, you want to break down the pieces slightly, but not turn it too mushy.




Add the egg and stir well.

Spray a pan with non stick cooking spray(or line with parchment paper)

Gently pat the cauliflower mixture into the bottom of the pan








Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and top as desired(remember its a bit on the delicate side, so dont OVER load)


Bake or broil to melt the toppings and heat through.

Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

I realized I never put this on by itself so I figured it would be a good time to do so...This time I did it in the slow cooker, it can be done stove top too.



This sauce is a nice basic sauce for any spaghetti or lasagna, this makes quite a bit of sauce (and it freezes beautifully)


1/2 to 1 lb ground beef( meatiness to your preference,  or you can use Italian sausage if you prefer)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green and/or red bell pepper, chopped(more or less to your preference)
2 cups tomato sauce(1 -15 oz can)
3/4 cup tomato paste(1- 6 oz can)
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced*(1- 28 oz can )
1/2 cup beef broth
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried basil
1 TB dried parsley
1 (+) tsp white sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 pinches of baking soda
* to peel quickly, make a small slash in the skin, dip into simmering water for 15-20 seconds and then dip into cold water, the peel will slip off easily


Cook beef with onion, garlic and bell pepper until the veggies are tender and meat is no longer pink, drain if necessary.

For Stove Top:

Return to the pot and add remaining ingredients except the baking soda.
Simmer 1-3 hours. Stir in the baking soda. Stir and simmer until thickened. Taste and adjust sugar per your preference. If it is still a bit acidic add another pinch or two baking soda and simmer 1/2 hour more.

For Slow Cooker:

While beef is cooking add remaining ingredients, except baking soda to the slow cooker

When the beef is done(and drained if need be) add to the slow cooker and mix well.

Cook on low 6-8 hours, high 3-4. Add in baking soda and stir well

Taste and adjust sugar per your preference, if it is still acidic add another pinch or two of baking soda and cook 1/2 hour more.

Banana Bread and Bacon Pancake Roll(GF and Wheat Version)

Leftover Bacon + an idea for Banana Bread Pancakes= Yummy Sunday Morning!!
I used this recipe as a base.


Of course if you dont want to do the roll up, this recipe is fantastic for "regular" pancakes too! (Put a sprinkle of crumbled bacon on top of the pancake batter as you put them on the griddle, fantastic!)







1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 TB tapioca starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
OR
3 cups flour(all purpose, whole wheat pastry, or any combo you like)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ground flax (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2-2 cups milk
1 1/2 TB vanilla extract
4 large overripe bananas
2 TB coconut oil(butter is fine)
7-8 slices crisp cooked bacon

Topping
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Line  a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan with parchment paper,(I didnt do this and I had a MUCH harder time rolling it, parchment paper will make it ALOT easier LOL) spray it lightly with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350

In a bowl combine flour(s) with brown sugar, flax, baking powder, salt , cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and set aside.










Mash bananas well add in vanilla and coconut oil and 1 cup milk...mix all in very well










add to the dry mixture and add enough milk to make the batter well moistened and on the runnier side, amount of milk will vary depending on the flours you use.









Pour into the jelly roll pan and shake around gently to make it even and into the corners of the pan.

Place cooked bacon evenly spaced on the top of the batter.


Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes until cooked through.(toothpick comes out clean)



While its cooking mix up the topping, combine all in a pan over medium heat and mix well, simmer gently until thickened(5-10 minutes depending on the type of syrup you use, 100% is alot thinner), remove from heat and set aside







When the pancake is done, allow to cool in pan for a few moments. With the parchment paper gently remove it from the pan and place on a flat surface.










Pour 1/3 cup of the maple syrup mixture over the bacon










Starting from the short end roll gently removing the parchment paper as you go(do this slowly and gently, to prevent cracking....









Slice evenly and serve with more Maple Topping and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Cough, Cold and Flu Soother

I can't quite sell it as a "remedy" but a number of sources do say the ingredients shorten Cold and Flu symptoms. It certainly helps us! I make up a batch of this at the first sign of winter time sniffles.







1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar(raw is best!)
1/4 cup hot water
1 TB fresh grated ginger (1 tsp ground ginger if fresh isn't available)
1 tsp cinnamon(fresh ground if possible)
1 /2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

2014---this year I doubled the batch and added a clove of garlic, then put it all in my vitamix so there were no chunks...I was worried that the garlic would not mesh well but all the other flavors really hid the garlic!


Mix all the ingredients in a jar with a tight lid, shake well to incorporate all the ingredients.

You can take it straight by the tablespoonful as often as you need
Mix it into hot water and sip it as tea
Add some Irish Flu remedy like Whiskey (or Brandy is fantastic too!) for a good nights sleep(obviously the latter is not appropriate for the kiddos, but its mommy's favorite LOL)

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I wanted to do something in my slow cooker for Taekwon-Do night, everyone agreed enchiladas sounded tasty and this is what we came up with!










3 smallish chicken breasts
Approx 2 1/2 cups Red Enchilada Sauce(this recipe is awesome)
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup diced green chilies(1-4 oz can)
2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed(1-15 oz can)
2 cups cheese(I used 1 cup pepper jack and 1 cup Fiesta Blend)
10-12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters(amount will depend on the size of your tortilla and size of your slow cooker)
1/2 cup green onions, optional


Remove 1/2 cup sauce and set aside
Add cream cheese to remaining sauce and simmer until the cream cheese is melted through.

Simmer the chicken breasts with reserved 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce until the chicken is cooked through, remove from heat, allow chicken to cool and shred well.









Return chicken to pan along with the corn, green chilies and black beans. Mix Well









In the bottom of the slow cooker pour 1/4 cup of the sauce, top with tortillas to cover the bottom










Add 1/2 the filling and 1/3 the cheese and 1/3 sauce

Place another layer of tortillas and repeat the filling layer....









Top one last time with tortillas, top with remaining sauce and cheese.










I sprinkled on the 1/2 cup green onions about 30 minutes before it was done
Cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Not Your Typical Tuna Casserole

My husband wanted a Tuna casserole , but I wanted to do something a bit different than the plain old kind.....I found this recipe and decided to use it as a base.....I think this turned out quite well!









16 oz noodles of your choice, egg noodles are the "typical", I used homemade GF brown rice macaroni
2 TB  butter
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 TB cornstarch*
2.5 cups cold milk
8 oz shredded Muenster cheese(if you don't have Muenster, Gouda would be great, or even Provolone)
1 TB horseradish sauce
1 TB lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and Pepper to taste
12-15 oz tuna fish, (fresh would be awesome but I prefer water packed if using canned...drained well)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

topping:
1 cup crumbs(bread crumbs, gf bread crumbs, panko, crackers, chips whatever you desire)
1 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced.

Cook and drain your pasta per package (or homemade boiling)instructions...

Preheat oven to 350








In a deep pot melt butter over medium high heat, add green onions and saute until fragrant(a minute or so)
* you can used flour if you arent gluten free or don't want to use cornstarch. Just mix 1/4 cup flour into the hot butter after the green onions are cooked instead of mixing it into the milk.

Whisk cornstarch into cold milk and add to the green onion mixture....stir and cook until the milk is thickened.











Add cheese, horseradish, lemon juice and zest and the salt and pepper, reduce heat to low and stir until the cheese is fully melted.








Remove from heat and add in tuna and peas.










In a greased casserole dish mix pasta and cheese mixture.

Topping:
combine the crumbs, oil and garlic , toss well and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese if you like.











Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cran-Peary Quinoa Salad

I was looking for a nice side dish to some pork but couldn't really find that perfect recipe, and that is where the creative mind kicks in LOL.






1 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup pear juice(apple juice is fine if you don't have pear)


1 medium pear, chopped and tossed with lemon water(1 tsp lemon juice to 1/2 cup water)
1 rib celery, chopped
1/3-1/2 cup dried cranberries(more or less to your tastes)
1/4 cup Litehouse Pear Gorgonzola dressing*
sprinkle of Gorgonzola cheese(optional)



Rinse and drain your quinoa well, then in a pot with a tight fitting lid bring  the quinoa, water and pear/apple juice to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender(translucent and the germ is visible) about 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat.







In a colander(with very fine holes!)Rinse in cold water and drain well.










When the quinoa is chilled, add the pear, celery and cranberries, then gently toss in the dressing(more or less to your preference, (you don't want it dripping in dressing!)

Sprinkle with Gorgonzola cheese as desired! Serve well chilled.





*if you cant find the Pear Gorgonzola,  Poppy Seed dressing is just as tasty(with a sprinkling of feta in place of the Gorgonzola, yum!)
here is a good homemade one or you can do store bought(litehouse is delicious!)
Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c non fat Greek yogurt
2 TB canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1 TB minced onion
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 TB poppy seeds

Combine all and mix well, allow to mingle at least an hour.