Easy Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Want to be someone's reason to smile today?  OF COURSE YOU DO!  If I have a few "kids" setting around the kitchen this time of year I whip up some of these cookies.  They are gluten free, super yummy, easy to make and bring smiles.  "How easy?"

 This easy...

• In a bowl combine 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar and 1 egg. 

• Preheat oven to 350, roll about a teaspoon into a ball & press down with a fork.  

• Bake for 10 minutes.  Do not let them get brown unless you want crunchy cookies.  

After baking for 10 minutes your cookies won't be brown, but take out to cool. 

You will get about 18 soft, yummy peanut butter cookies.  Get the milk!

I hate it when that happens....(sarcasm)

Gluten Free Spinach Tomato Penne w/chicken

Since I discovered I have Celiac Disease, my favorite gluten free dishes to cook have been pasta dishes.  With so many gluten free pastas on the market your choices are endless!  And although you may think Italian dishes are complicated, they are not.  Basically, most pasta recipes have one of two sauces:  fresh tomato and basil sauce or a cream sauce.  In this dish you will make your tomato sauce into a creamy tomato by using cream cheese.  But other cream sauces are basically a 1/2 and 1/2 cream slowly cooked with parmesan added for thickening. Any Italian dish you choose to make can be adapted to your own taste with fresh mushrooms, basil, red peppers, onions ect.  Let's get this new dish on the table...

Ingredients:
1 bag of gluten free penne
2 chicken breasts grilled
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic minced depending on your taste
1 teaspoon each of basil & oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes depending on your taste
1/3 cup of parmesan
1  14oz  can of diced tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato paste
3 oz of cream cheese
2 cups of freshly chopped spinach
salt and pepper to taste
fresh mozzarella to top

Put the chicken on the grill and water on to boil while making the sauce

Place oil over a medium heat and add onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Once the onion is transparent add the tomatoes and the paste and simmer. 
Do not simmer to the point of decreasing your liquid.

After this step of the sauce you should put your pasta on to boil because it is only about 10-12 min. to completion.
I can honestly say, ANY brand of gluten free pasta is just fine.  How wrong can you go?

Add cream cheese and melt.  Then add parmesan and spinach to the sauce.
About this time your chicken should be finished on the grill.  I go ahead and slice it and turn the grill off
to allow all sides to char. Grate your mozzarella put your dish together to serve!  

 

 

We do a family style plate.  I drain the pasta, place it on a large plate, top it with the sauce, then the chicken and finally the fresh mozzarella and some cracked pepper.  SERVE!!!!!

IN YOUR FACE GLUTEN!



Gluten Free Taco Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is great for more than one reason, you will have left over stuffing!  We always have loaded nachos the next day using the leftover stuffing and it is just as yummy as the first time.  As always, my recipes are simple... so lets get started. 

Ingredients:
1 pound of lean hamburger
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup of corn, fresh or frozen or easier than a can
1 cup of cooked rice
1-2 green onions chopped using tops as well
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3-4 green bell peppers (if you can find nice ones to stand up on their own go for it)
1/3 cup of water
Hot sauce to top
Sour cream, avocado and any other topping you prefer

Let's get started, the family is waiting!

Brown and drain your hamburger meat.  Then cook with the taco seasoning according to the package directions

Add the cooked rice and the corn



Add your cheese, and chopped green onions

If you want your peppers to stand just cut the tops off, clean and fill.  But honestly, on the first bite they are going to lay down like your puffy hair on a humid summer's day.  That is why I just cut them in half and lay them down.

Fill with the taco meat. Press down and use a few extra spoonfuls to place around. Top with hot sauce to taste.  Fill the bottom of the baking dish with water and cover.  The water will help to steam the peppers making them tender.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Like I said, you will have left over filling unless you use about 5-6 peppers. 
This stuff is great the next day for nachos!

NOTE:  You can use ground turkey or 2 boiled and shredded chicken breasts instead of the hamburger meat.
 

Gluten Free Nutella No Bake Cookies

These are pretty great cookies.  Not only do they have Nutella, which is the spread of happiness, but they also have peanut butter!  (plus sugar and butter-so you can eat all you want)  I am not certain if it is the peanut butter or not, but these cookies are almost ready to eat as soon as you drop them on the wax paper.  Let's get going on this!

Here is what you will need:

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup Nutella

3 cup quick oats

Sea salt for topping if you like the sweet/salty taste ( I do this on about 1/2 of the cookies)

 

Over a medium heat melt butter, add milk, then sugar and cocoa. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and salt.  Pour hot mixture over peanut butter, Nutella and oats. Stir until combined. Drop by teaspoon on wax paper and cool. When the cookies are hardened eat and repeat! 

Melting the butter on a medium heat...adding milk

Adding sugar and coco and bringing to a boil...

Added vanilla and poured hot mixture over the Nutella and peanut butter, then added oats
to make this:

Dropped by the spoonful on to wax paper to cool. 
If you want you can
add sea salt for a twist on the flavor.

These are heavenly...

 

Gluten Free Banana, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Muffins

At first I thought, " there is no way in the world this will work without oats or something to hold it all together"....but hot diggity it does!  Not only does it work, but these are super yummy and very easy. (you know me, I don't do complicated because life itself takes care of that!)

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

All you need is:  

• 2 bananas- not green, not too brown
•  2 eggs
• 3 oz of honey (6 Tablespoons)
• 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons of vanilla
• 2/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• Chocolate chips to taste (used about 1 cup)

Ok, so that is the yum part and here comes the easy...throw it all in a blender, except the chocolate chips, until it is smooth.  Fold the chocolate chips right into the blender.  Spray your muffin pan, and pour batter straight into the your tin filling 3/4 full. This recipe made 18 muffins.  Bake about 8-10 minutes.  Do not be afraid to get them REALLY brown so they are not gooey.  Let them cool a little before removing and serve....best over ice cream.  (and low fat too-sarcasm)

 Smooth smooth smooth!

 I added some chocolate chips to the top because I love chocolate!

 

I cannot wait for my baby to get home with her gluten free tummy and bake these for her!

This little beauty, not the horse, is studying abroad in Ireland for the semester. 

Her momma misses her every day and cannot wait for her to come back to Texas!



Chili and Gluten Free Cornbread Waffles

 

 I live in Texas and there is a reason we have chili cook-offs...no one has the same recipe and we all think ours is the best.  Sadly, I KNOW mine is the best so I don't even enter it in cook offs any more. (it's just not fair)  Since this is meant to be a quick and easy chili and waffles recipe, I have given you a quick and easy chili I make when in a hurry and am not going to it cook all day.  I will post my award winning recipe at a later date.  And to be perfectly honest and not sarcastic, our chili recipe that cooks all day has won 4 blue ribbons in 5 chili cook-offs. THIS IS NOT THAT RECIPE but here is what you need:

• 1 medium jalapeno pepper diced (more if you like a hotter chili)
• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 2 t. olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped (purple are great)
• 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 t. each of salt and pepper
• 1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 can pinto not drained
•  red kidney beans not drained
• 1 cup water

  Cook beef over medium heat, drain, place in a medium pot and coat with salt, pepper and chili powder.  Heat oil and add onion, pepper and jalapeno to oil and cook  until tender on a medium heat.  Add to cooked beef and spices, along with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over waffles.



This is the GF cornbread I use and we really like it.  If you want to make your chili EXTRA  hot by adding more jalapenos, this is a great mix to use because it is very sweet. 



 

                                                                  Spray your waffle iron and place batter inside until ready

 

We top ours with cheese and serve.  (some family members even top with sour cream) 

 

If you REALLY REALLY want to be quick and easy, pick up some chili from Wendy's on your way home and make the waffles. 

 

This is such a great, filling recipe and fun for the kids to help

make if you have little ones at home

 

 

Jalapeno Cheese Sausage with Beans and Rice Royal

This is one of those recipes you throw in the crock pot for 10 hours on low heat and never touch it again.  (You're welcome)   Here is what you are going to need:



• 1 pound of link jalapeno/cheese sausage, cut into small bites
• 1 pound of red beans dry
• 8 cups of water
• 4 celery stalks chopped
• 2 teaspoons of garlic minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of Creole Seasoning or 3 if you don't use jalapeno sausage
• 3 cups of uncooked Rice Royal, cooked to package specifications right before eating

    This entire recipe with serve 8. The 3 cups of uncooked rice will serve 4.  It is way better the next day, so I will cook 3 additional cups of rice for left overs.

 

Place ALL ingredients, but rice, in the crockpot on a low heat if you cook it for 10 hours, and medium for 8 hours.  If you cannot find the Rice Royal, we prefer Wild Rice with this recipe but cook whatever rice you prefer.  (rice royal is a blend of white, brown, red and wild rice)

 

After cooking is complete, serve over rice and enjoy!

 

 

 

This is such a great winter recipe for your family! 

 And, it is naturally gluten free...

 

Chicken, Bacon and Wild Rice Soup (Gluten free)

It is February in Texas, such a glorious time of year.  Bathing suits, sunglasses and sun screen....NOT!!!! (I am so over this weather people) I think Carl Reiner said it best when he said, “A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”  I know, it is not as cold as Minnesota, or Canada but I don't live there!  I live in West Texas, and being a Texas woman,  I may as well ease the pain of this 22 degree high by cooking a great, meal for my family. 

 

This soup is a hearty, full soup.  Not low in calories but high in comfort for sure.  For it to be gluten free you have to make your own broth or buy broth stating it is GF, and you MUST use

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. 

 

Here are the ingredients you need:

• 2 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
6-8 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled 
5 cups of water to boil your chicken in, thereby making your own broth
• 2 Knorr Chicken bouillon cubes (or your gluten free choice)
• 1 cup of uncooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup green onions chopped (not too much of the green)
• 1/2 cup celery chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 Tablespoons of pimiento
• 1/4 cup of dry sherry

 

Place your chicken breasts on a low boil in 5 cups of water, season water heartily with salt and pepper.  Place your bacon in the oven on broil while chicken is low boiling.  I trim a lot of the fat off of the bacon because I don't like it in my soup, but you can do whatever your family prefers.  Once chicken is cooked, strain your water to clean it up, and add your bouillon cubes, rice, celery and onion.  Remove bacon from the oven and crumble.

Set meats aside for now.

 

 

 

 

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Heat to medium low, stirring constantly, until smooth and a little bubbly. Gradually stir in half and half with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

 

Add this creamy mixture into the pot with the rice/broth. Add remaining ingredients (chicken, bacon, pimiento, and sherry). Heat on low, NOT boiling and NOT covered.  The 1/2 and 1/2 will scorch on the bottom quickly if you heat too fast. The soup may look thin, but the longer you heat the soup, the more it will thicken.

 (If it is thicker than you prefer in the beginning add water to thin it) 

My boys like it thick enough to eat with a fork (that's not soup boys-that's a casserole)

This soup is so great on a cold day.  I baked a home made loaf of gluten free bread and toasted it for complementing the soup. It was so good, my son had me call him out of school at lunch the next day to finish it off!  This recipe will make about 6-8 bowls.

 

  

Roast with Beans and Rice

This is another one of those recipes I almost hate to post because it is so simplistic and YOU come out looking like a chef in a superman cape.  I mean, who wouldn't want that? 

 

Here is what you need:  a roast of your choosing, 1 can rotel, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can ranch, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 of an onion chopped,  2 cups uncooked white rice, 4-5 hungry people

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. 
Place your roast in a roasting pan fat side up, make slits in fat and salt and pepper. 

Place onions in bottom of the pan, open all three cans, do NOT drain, dump on top of roast.
Cover, and cook for 6-7 hours. 
 

Cook rice just a few minutes prior to serving as directed on the box.   This recipe will make some of the BEST beans you have ever tasted.  The fat from the roast makes them so yummy! Some people in my family eat the bean and rice together, and my husband puts it all together and goes for it!

 

This is one of those recipes you can put in the oven mid - morning, and not do another thing it until it is time to eat.  I  serve this dish with a salad and it is always a hit!  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does :)

Clementine Cake - Gluten Free

There are a lot of great things about this cake.  1.  It is Nigella Lawson's recipe  2.  It is easy as can be and

3.  It is gluten free 

 

Here is all you need:

3 medium sized clementine, 1 -1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure this is gluten free), 6 eggs and

2- 1/4 cup almond meal, if you want topping you need 1 additional fresh clementine juiced and 1 cup powdered sugar

 

NOTE:  you have to boil your clementine for 2 hours before you can make the cake but once that is complete you are ready to go! 

 

Place your clementine in cold water and bring to a boil, once they are boiling turn down to a medium to medium high heat and cook for two hours uncovered.

 

                You can find almond meal at most health food stores or in your regular grocery store on the gluten free isle.  I prefer Red Mill.



After your clementine are finished boiling, peel 2 and leave the skin on one.
Place in a blender with your eggs and sugar. Blend to combine.



 

       Once the clementine juice, (including the rind of one), eggs and sugar are combined and smooth add the flour and the baking powder.  This flour is really light and not heavy at all. so tap it down into your measuring cup but you do not pack it.

 Once you have blended the ingredients, remove blender top and pour it into a well greased spring form pan.  TIP:  Spray your spring form pan without the bottom in it and then put it together, also spraying the bottom.  This will get the edge where the cake may seep and keep  it from sticking.

Place cake into a preheated 375 degree oven, and place a piece of foil over the top to keep it from browning too quickly. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

 

For removing: run a butter knife around the edges when cool.  Flip over on to a platter, and remove the spring form.  Take a sharp knife, if the bottom of the pan does not release, and run it between the cake and the base.  If you want to make a 'frosting' take the juice of one clementine and add 1 cup of powdered sugar, whisk, and drizzle on top.   Garnish with clementine slices.  If you don't want a glaze, it is certainly moist enough alone and you can serve with whipped cream and zest.