buffalo wings recipe: sides

Showing posts with label sides. Show all posts

Showing posts with label sides. Show all posts

Paleo Cranberry Apple Sauce

4 Gala Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 12-ounce bag of fresh Cranberries
1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients into medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
Cover and let simmer, stirring regularly.
Once apples have softened, cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened turn off heat and remove from stove top.
Serve room temperature or chilled.

Simple Mayonnaise Cole Slaw

We are a ridiculously simple mayonnaise type cole slaw kinda family. SOMEBODY in our Church makes an awesome vinegar based cole slaw and some day I hope to get a hold of that recipe. I always hated vinegar based cole slaw but that is until this church dish. It even includes green peppers but it is sliced so thin you really wont mind. Anyway, I digress.......at home we make this recipe. It is so simple and always well received to the point that if its store bought the comment is, "that junk mommy bought". LOL. Anytime I can get kids to eat raw cabbage, is a good thing.

1/2 of a small head of cabbage, quartered and sliced very thin
1 cup of Mayonnaise (See Notes)
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Table Blend

Combine all ingredients in a large enough bowl and throughly coat to combine.
Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to marinade.
Serve cold and enjoy!

Mayonnaise:

Dukes Mayonnaise is a zero carb mayonnaise. It is made with Soybean oil though which is NOT paleo.
You can quickly and easily make it Paleo by making your own Hellmans Mayonnaise with your stick blender and the cup it comes with 6 simple ingredients. Click HERE to be directed to the recipe.

Easy Cauliflower Puree

I will never forget the time I added a head of cauliflower into my mashed potatoes one Thanksgiving early on in my cooking experience. My brother in law who is known for his extreme pickiness ate 3 plates full and my sister and I giggled in the kitchen for hours. He had no idea he was eating cauliflower. I LOVE cauliflower so does my sister so we thought this was a natural pairing. My own mother and grandmother used to put turnips in their mashed potatoes to give it that spicy bite they love. We thought we were original and creative but you know what they say, most ideas are not original. Folks have been cooking almost since time began. Most likely it has been done before. Now that I am trying to keep my family off of starches for health reasons, I love that there is a replacement for those mashed potatoes we loved so much. I am posting my no so original recipe for Cauliflower puree not for the recipe per say but the method. My way of doing it is more like a lazy girls way. Shall we get started? Great....

1 16 ounce bag of Frozen Cauliflower
2 tablespoons of Water
4 Tablespoons of Butter
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Place frozen cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl along with Water
Cook for suggested cooking time on package (about 8 minutes)
Pour out as much as the cooking liquid as you can.
Dump cooked cauliflower, butter and salt into food processor and puree until all is incorporated and cauliflower is smooth.
Your dish is ready to eat.
Pureed cauliflower could be kept warm at this point in the oven along with whatever you are baking.
Place

Home Made Boston Style Baked Beans

Have you ever made Baked Beans from scratch? It always seemed like such a scary task to me, though I don't know why. I made refried beans from dried beans before. It is no more of a task than that. Plus lets not forget it is so easy to get excellent baked beans in a can. I went ahead and made this dish from scratch for my brother who was coming over for dinner. He can have almost NO salt. I am so glad I did, it was so good. It tasted like candied beans! LOL. Well not too sweet it had just the right amount of savory from the onions. Go ahead give it a try. Use your crock pot if you wish. You won't regret it.

2 cups Navy Beans
12 ounce pack of Frozen chopped onions
3 tablespoons Mild Molasses
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 cup Katchup
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup reserved bean water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Soak beans overnight in 8 cups of water.
The next morning, summer the beans in the same soaking water until tender, approximately 2 hours on low.
Meanwhile, in a fry pan simmer onions on low until caramelized.
Add Molasses, Pepper, Dry Mustard, Katchup and Brown Sugar. Stirring occasionally, bring mixture to a medium boil. Remove from heat
When beans are done, drain liquid, reserving 1/2 cup.
Place beans in 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix in sauteed onions and Sauce, mix well.
Make sure beans are covered with liquid, otherwise add additional reserved soaking liquid.
Cover and Bake for 2 hours in oven until beans are tender and sauce is thickened.

Cheesy Rice, a copycat for Knorr/Lipton Rice and Sauce, Cheddar Broccoli

Knorr/Lipton Rice and Sauce used to be a staple around here. That is before we went Gluten Free due to Celiac. You know what? It really is not all that difficult to make this yourself. The original version actually has vermicelli (spaghetti) in it, I am not adding that to my recipe. Please allow me to introduce to you my gluten free copycat for Lipton Rice & Sauce, Cheddar Broccoli.

1 cup Rice
3 cups Broth or water with 3 Herb Ox Chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon Minced Onion (spice)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package of frozen broccoli spears, chopped small
1 cup Extra Sharp shredded Cheddar Cheese

Add Rice, broth/water, onion, salt and pepper into medium sauce pan.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove lid and add Frozen broccoli.
Continue to cook for 10 more minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and rice is tender. You don't want all of the water totally absorbed and the rice completely dry. You want some to remain to create the sauce. Add more water if necessary.
Stir in cheese until melted.

Nicoise Salad Recipe

When I was young I lived in an urban area with lots of shopping opportunity. Shopping as a teenager or young adult was not what you would initially think of. It was not so much the pursuit of materialistic goods. The mall is where you would meet your friends, socialize, walk, eat lunch/dinner, stay on top of the latest fashions and bargain hunt for clearance deals. Going to the mall was almost a weekly thing for me and my friends and my all time favorite place to eat was Saladworks (yes, its a link to their site, but they are not a sponsor...I promise). My favorite Salad was the Nicoise (Pronunciation: nee-SWAHZ). I live in a rural area now, going to the mall is an all day affair that includes 2 or more hours of drive time. Even if I still lived close to a Saladworks, our allergies would probably prevent us from eating there because they put pasta in everything. So please allow me to present to you my copycat recipe for their wonderful Nuevo Nicoise Salad.

1 head Romain Lettuce, leaves washed & dried and torn into bite sized pieces
1 head Ice Burg Lettuce, leaves washed & dried and torn into bite sized pieces
8 ounces of Pasta, cooked until al dente and drained (I like to use spiral)
2 or 3 8-ounce cans Tuna
3 or 4 Roma Tomatoes
4 to 6 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup Black Olives (Nicoise is traditionally used but I am using either Kalamata or black)
8 ounces Green Beans, stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise

I like to layer salad in a large bowl in the order listed. It makes for a beautiful presentation and is very filling. You will notice the rather large range difference in proportions of ingredients. This salad is not an exact science. Add the ingredients more or less according to your taste. At Saladworks they have all the ingredients separate and every ingredient was added in equal proportions via scoop. That is pretty much how we do it too, set out all the ingredients and add.

I will be linking this recipe to Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesday.

Quick and Easy Mexican Rice

I will never forget the first time buying a packet of Lipton Mexican style rice as an adult. I lived in New Jersey and worked full time with an hour commute each way. Super frugal check out mommy was saying to me, "You know you can just cook your rice along with a can of diced tomatoes and it will turn out just as great". Bahh, I don't have time for that nonsense I said to myself. (Tee Hee). I was so far from the person I am today. With my daughters diagnoses, I can no longer BUY Lipton packets. I was FORCED to find my inner chef and make it from scratch. But making it from scratch still should not take forever, KWIM? Now how was it that check out lady said to make it. Ahh fooey, I forget. So off I go to figure out a simple version of what I recall her telling me back then. I added a few things to it, like the onion, garlic and cumin. I add cumin to everything Spanish or Mexican, I LOVE cumin. It is my all time favorite spice!

1 cup Rice

2 cups Water

2 Bouillon Cubes (herb ox Chicken, but either would work)

8 ounces Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon Cumin

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1/2 Onion, finely chopped

2 to 3 Tablespoons Oil

Set Water, Tomato Sauce and bouillon over medium heat in a small sauce pan. The purpose here is to get the liquids hot.
Place oil in the pan over medium high heat.
Add Rice, Onion and Garlic and sauté until rice begins to brown slightly.
Add rice to the heated liquids.
Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Stir in Cheese while warm (Optional).

Cranberry Sauce

This is the original Cranberry Sauce recipe I served at my first Dinner back in 1996 . It was adapted from a recipe I found in that years seasonal Bon Appetit magazine. I have changed it up a bit though. The original called for currents and walnuts.

I suppose what lured me to this recipe was the Port. I was young and newly in love and very much into wine with dinner on special occasions. I splashed this port into my gravy base, into the cranberries, into my glass! Enjoy!

1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup ruby Port
1 medium navel orange, unpeeled, chopped

Combine cranberries, sugar and Port in saucepan.
Bring mixture to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Reduce heat to low and add orange.
Simmer until cranberries burst and mixture thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
Cool cranberry conserve completely.

Thanksgiving Thursdays: Stuffing/Dressing, Vegetables & Potatoes

Welcome to part two of my Gluten Free Thanksgiving. If you missed part one, you can find it here. If this is one of your first Gluten Free Thanksgivings, like us, I hope you do not feel like you are out of luck with your old favorites. I am working hard in the kitchen so you and I can have a wonderful gluten free Thanksgiving.

Its all about the side dishes today. I have dozens of recipes I have used over the years for the holidays, as I am sure you do as well. These are the dishes I have selected to work on and share this year.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

Last thanksgiving I made a Gluten Free green bean casserole entirely from scratch. Yes, it was yummy but oh so complicated to do for a huge meal like Thanksgiving. This recipe is slightly less complicated. There are no French Fried Onions Gluten Free so that step you will still have to do from scratch, but the rest can be purchased. The added mushrooms step could easily be left out to make this dish more convenient. Below is how I intend to make Green Bean Casserole this year.

French Fried Onions:

2 Large Onions, sliced into thin rings

2 Eggs

1 cup Milk

1 cup Flour Blend (any)

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

8 ounces of Sliced Mushrooms

2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Flour Blend (any)

1 18 ounce Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup
1 teaspoon La Choy Soy Sauce
1 Pound Frozen Green Beans, thawed

Combine Milk and egg and mix throughly and place in a wide bowl.
Soak the onions in egg/milk mixture a few minutes.
Combine flour and seasonings in a large mixing bowl.
Add onions and toss to coat.
Heat oil to about 325 to 350 degrees.
Cook onions for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the onions and set on paper towels to dry.
Season with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a frying pan set over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine.
Add the Soup and Soy sauce. Stir.
Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans.
Top with the remaining onions.
Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes.
Remove and serve immediately.

Stouffers Harvest Apples Copycat Recipe

Quick Skillet Apples or otherwise know as Apple Compote

This is my newest copycat recipe for Stouffer's Harvest Apples or Stouffer's Escalloped Apples. The two, heat up quick in the microwave, dishes from Stouffer's were a huge hit in our house pre Celiac diagnosis. If you read my blog, you will know that i've attempted this copycat recipe several times. THIS is the recipe that we think matches the taste the the best. Stouffer's uses Jonathan apples though and we can't always get those here. Granny Smith is a great substitute.

This recipe is so versatile. You could serve it over top of pancakes or waffles or along side your dinner as a gluten free alternative to Stouffer's Harvest Apples.

Recipe:

2 to 3 medium apples

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Dash of Salt

1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 cup Water

2 Fresh Green Granny Smith Apples

Peel Apples

Slice and dice

Add 1/4 cup Sugar

Add 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

add 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Add cup of water (or apple juice if you have it).
Cook until apples are JUST SOFT.

Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 or 2 tablespoons water
until dissolved. Add to pan and stir until thickened.

But wait, where is the finished product??????

In the kids' bellies, that is where.

We enjoyed these so much that we will definitely will be making them again.

Next time I'll take a picture of the finished product before serving!

Gluten free Mac and Cheese Recipe

I have been thinking a lot about back to school lunches. This year my gluten free daughter starts Kindergarten and I have decided that both children will pack a lunch. The idea of packing a lunch scares me. I myself do not like to eat the same lunch every day and do not expect them to eat a sandwich every day either. After all, I am asking my son to skip the hot meal for my packed lunches. But to come up with unique yet yummy ideas for kids every school day? YIKES. So I will start posting a series of ideas I have for back to school lunches. Please, join me with your ideas won't you?

This recipe is what I like to call extraordinarily ordinary food. Just the way my children like it. Not too spicy, not too bland yet tasty enough for an adult ~ kid friendly food. This recipe is indeed hearty enough to be a lunch. I use Tinkyada noodles because I think that they are heartier. Personally I think Tinkyada is a dead ringer for wheat pasta. Don't get me wrong, I love Annies Gluten Free Mac and Cheese. Its just that the noodles are so small. The Tinkyada eblows remind me more of what mom used to bake in the oven.

1/4 cup Butter or Margarine
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon black Pepper
16 ounce package of Elbows
3 cups Warm Water
1 Herb Ox Bouillon Cube (chicken)
2 Tablespoons Rice Flour (I have used Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Bisquick also)
1 12-13 ounce can evaporated Milk
2 cups Shredded Extra Sharp Cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet.
Add the onion and seasonings. Sauté for a two minutes.
Add Elbows, water and bouillon.
Cover and simmer 10-5 minutes or until macaroni is almost done.
Add the flour and stir.
Stir in the evaporated milk and cheese.
Simmer and stir until cheese is melted.

I am going to store some of this in a twist top container for lunches.

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Greek Salad

This is the madly popular recipe that I make and take to various events. It leaves a wonderful pop of flavor in your mouth.

There are lots of different varieties of greek salad but the ingredients are basically all the same. I think its the way you assemble it that makes it different. I slice my kalamata olives. I'm finely crumbling my feta cheese. I like my cucumbers de-skinned and quartered. I like my red onion very thinly sliced into rings then quartered. I like to use quartered plum tomatoes but have been known to use halved cherry tomatoes too. This way each scoop ensures you a selection of each flavor. A good quality extra virgin olive oil is key here.

This recipe always gets doubled.

3 lg. vine ripened tomatoes (1 1/2 lbs) chopped
1 cucumber cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 sm red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 c. Kalamata Olives
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
6 oz. Feta Cheese
1/4 tea salt
1/8 tea pepper

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and lives. Add oil, oregano, 1/4 tea salt and 1/8 tea pepper; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Feta to serve

Summer Potato Harvest

As I mentioned before, this is our first year of organic gardening. Pictured above is our very first ever attempt at growing potatoes. Yukon Gold's to be exact. We had two bowl's of this size. Though the week I have been attempting to create several ways to serve these potatoes. I wanted to do something special and honor all of our hard work. Something that would send the message to our children that growing your own is better than any other option.

First up, Parsley Potatoes. No recipe required. Just boil 2 pounds of the smaller potatoes in the bunch until tender. 2T butter, 2T Oil. Stir fry and season with parsley and salt. Add whatever seasonings you would like. I'm Italian so I'd add garlic. Except I know my kids would not eat it then.

Our second use for potatoes was a one layer Potato Galette. I simply sliced the bigger potatoes, layered with seasonings, drizzled with oil and butter. Topped with parmesan cheese. I baked this dish for an hour until the potatoes were super tender. The kids went for thirds with this dish. So a HUGE success.

What I have left is the super small potatoes. I am thinking something with pasta. An enhancer to another dish. Maybe soup? Maybe you have ideas?

I will be posing this article to:

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Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 cups dried or 4 cups reconstituted Black Beans
4 cups Tomatoes (Plum, diced)
1 small Red Onion (diced small)
2 cups Corn (frozen is OK)
1 Jalapeno (seeds removed, finely diced)
1 clove Garlic (finely diced)
1-1/2 teaspoons Cumin
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce
1/2 cup fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoons fresh Parsley
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Tablespoons Lime Juice

Soak dried beans overnight. Next day rinse beans and refill pot of water with 2 inches of water above beans. Simmer slow until beans are soft.

Mix cooled black beans with all ingredients and mix well. Chill to blend flavors.

I will be sharing this recipe at Gluten Free Wednesdays over at Gluten Free Homemaker's Blog.

Convenient Spanish Rice

Have you seen this idea? I found it in the Kraft Foods Food & Family magazine. The concept is new to me but I just LOVE it. I like to make my rice ahead and freeze it. Once its defrosted. I can add the various ingredients and go.

2 cups Cooked Rice
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup Salsa
2 Tablespoons Sour Cream

Defrost frozen rice in Microwave for 3 minutes.
Stir in Shredded Cheese until melted.
Stir in Salsa and Sour Cream until incorporated well

Top with Cilantro!

Spinach Casserole

3 Packages of 10 oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
24 ounce Cottage Cheese
3 eggs Beaten
4 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour (I'm using Tom Sawyer brand)
2 cups Shredded Cheese

Melt butter. Blend in flour.
Add beaten eggs and cottage cheese.
Fold in spinach and shredded cheese.
Bake uncovered at 325 degrees in greased dish for 1 hour.

This recipe freezes well and I like to slice portions and freeze for quick lunches.

Stuffed Baked Potato with "The WORKS"

Please enjoy this recipe as a part of my make ahead series.

8 large Potatoes

1 cup Bacon Bits

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

2 sticks of Butter

1 cup Sour Cream

2 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash

1 teaspoon Pepper

2 teaspoons Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake Potatoes for 1 hour or until soft in center.

Meanwhile saute garlic for one minute and set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside.

Slice baked potatoes in half with serrated knife.

Scoop pulp into large bowl and set shells aside.

Add bacon, garlic, butter, sour cream and seasonings.

Mash with a hand held potato masher.

Stir in 1 cup cheese.

Scoop potatoes back into 15 shells (one will be sacrificed for the additional pulp)

Top with remaining cheese and some fresh green onions.

Freeze at this point, flat on a cookie sheet until solid. Place in plastic bag for longer term storage.

Bake fresh or thawed potatoes for 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

This recipe was originally from Cooking Light Cookbook 1999 addition. A friend of mine forwarded to me the Pioneer Woman's version. It was very similar but on its own tasted fabulous. This recipe is a compilation of both recipes.

Refried Beans

Please enjoy this recipe as a part of my make ahead series.

1 pound Pinto Beans (2 cups)

3 or 4 cups Water

1/2 cup Bacon Drippings (I save mine when I cooke bacon)

1 large Onion

5 cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Cumin

2 teaspoons Salt

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon Oregano

Soak beans overnight with enough water to cover by 1 or 2 inches.

Next morning, rinse beans and place back into pot with enough water to cover by 1 or 2 inches.

Simmer uncovered on low for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender on stove top.

Use potato masher or stick blender to mash up beans.

Place bacon fat in a dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent.

Add garlic and seasonings. Cook for about a minute until fragrant.

Add beans and cooking liquid.

Cook stirring until thick paste forms adding any water as necessary.

or

Starting from stop one, place beans, onions and garlic in crock pot and cook 8 to 10 hours on low.

Remove enough water to just allow beans to be submerged.

Use potato masher or stick blender to mash up beans.

Place in jars or bags and freeze.

Gluten Free Rice A Roni Mix

Last time I checked, Rice a Roni was not Gluten free. No worries, it really is super simple to make and it is a great idea to make it ahead. If you break down the cost you will see that for the cost of one box on the shelves, you could make several. The taste is exact. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

Please enjoy this recipe as a part of my make ahead series.

Rice a Roni

1 cup long grain White Rice

1/2 cup Broken Rice Spaghetti Pieces (as small as you can get them)

4 Herb-Ox Bouillon Cubes (chicken or beef)

*************

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 teaspoon Oil

2 3/4 to 3 cups of Home Made Chicken or Beef stock (Water works also)

Chopped Fresh Parsley to taste

Add first three ingredients (rice, pasta bits, bouillon) in a glass jar.
(Sometimes I leave bouillon out and add with wet ingredients after)

Swipe metal cap with vinegar to disinfect. Twist on Metal Cap.

Keeps for a year in your pantry but I wont keep more than I'll use in say 2 months.

Add oil and butter to pan.
Take bouillon cubes aside and add rice/pasta to pan.
Saute until rice starts to brown.
Add stock or water and bouillon cubes and stir. Bring to boil.
Turn heat down to medium and cook for 15 to 20 minutes (until rice is tender).
Garnish with fresh parsley.

I first read about this recipe from Alison here.

I adapted it to suite my gluten free lifestyle and re-posed here with permission.