3rd Anniversary

Roasted Garlic Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

     2 teaspoons cornstarch
     1 cup water
     2 tablespoons soy sauce
     1 tablespoon roasted garlic & bell pepper seasoning
     1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground
     1 tablespoon oil
     1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak, cut in 1/4-inch strips
     3 cups asst. vegetables (broccoli florets, mushrooms, red bell
        pepper strips & snow peas)
     Cooked rice (optional)

Mix cornstarch, water, soy sauce, seasoning and ginger in small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add beef in several batches; stir fry 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining beef, adding additional oil if needed. Add vegetables to skillet; stir fry 3 minutes. Return beef to skillet.

Stir soy sauce mixture. Add to skillet; stirring constantly, bring to boil on medium heat and boil 1 minute. Serve with cooked rice, if desired.

6 Servings.

Recipe Review:
Absolutely incredible! This was our first time making stir fry from scratch - and boy do we need to do this more! We decided on stir fry for our 3rd Anniversary because we live for rice and veggies lately. The rich beef and vegetables flavor surprised us in this recipe because we weren't expecting something so great in such a quick, easy and tasty dish! I think that substituting tamari sauce for the soy sauce gave it a richer flavor, which makes it one we will make again!

Fried Rice
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

     2 ½ cups of cooked rice (can be cold)
     2 or 3 eggs
     ¾ cup frozen peas
     ¾ cup frozen corn
     ¾ cup chopped, peeled carrot
     3 cloves of garlic minced
     3 tablespoons oil
     2 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce (I used San J Organic
        Tamari instead)
     Salt & pepper, to taste

Heat wok (or deep pan) to piping hot. Water droplets should dance across the pan excitedly!

Add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and heat thoroughly. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and carrots. Stir fry until the food is half way done. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Return the work to piping hot again. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil and heat again. Add rice and stir fry (fry while stirring continually to avoid the rice sticking) until the rice has been heated through.

Add pepper to taste.

Add remaining veggies (in this case, frozen peas & corn) and continue to stir fry until the peas & corn are warmed and the rice is host.

Return the garlic and carrots to the pan.

Add soy sauce (2-3 Tablespoons to taste – depending on the saltiness of your soy sauce). NOTE: Fried rice is typically NOT dark in color but rather a light golden color with the soy sauce brining more flavor and a tinge of color. This is unlike most American fried rice restaurant recipes.

Continue to stir fry until well combined and everything is practically cooked perfectly.

Add eggs. Continue to stir fry until the eggs are distributed and cooked through.

Recipe Review:
This was such a fabulous meal! I was so glad that we decided to make the fried rice 'homemade' as well. But now that we've made it, I don't know if I'll ever enjoy the stuff from restaurants again because this was so great! The only thing that was missing was the scrambled egg pieces, but even without the eggs, it was incredible. I researched soy sauce, only to find out that almost all soy sauces have gluten in them, so we used organic tamari sauce instead. The peas and corn were a great addition. The fried rice could be eaten as a dish alone - but it was great with the beef & veggie stir fry. 

All Things Pumpkin

Fall harvest might be one of the best times of the year! It's time for apple farms, grape stomps at local vineyards and pumpkin picking. Oh, pumpkin picking. This time of year I can't think about anything but pumpkin flavored treats. Breads, pies, muffins...oh wait. All these yummy things have flour. They also have crust, gluten and dairy. Oh gosh! What is a girl, who is still on an elimination diet, to do? I absolutely can not miss out on one of the best flavors of the fall season. After searching for a few hours on how to adjust recipes for wheat-free flour and becoming quite confused with the territory that I'm brand new to, I'm still inspired to make a full meal of pumkin with some old-fashioned recipes. I'll leave the gluten-free and almond flour mixes for a time when I'm a litte more 'confident' in the field of GF. For now, it's time to fill the house with the aroma of Turkey Chili with Pumpkin and Crustless Pumpkin Pie.

Turkey Chili with Pumpkin

Prep: 20 min. Cook: 4 hours

     1 medium onion, chopped

     1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
     3 garlic cloves, minced
     2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
     3 cups chicken broth
     2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
     2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
     1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
     1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
     2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
     2 teaspoons chili powder
     1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
     1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
     1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a
5 qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

10 servings (2-1/2 quarts)

Recipe Review:
Didn't have black beans on hand so I substituted kidney beans.  Also substituted ground turkey for the cubed turkey. Was expecting great pumpkin flavor since it called for an entire can of solid-pack pumpkin, but it eneded up with a very subtle pumpkin after-taste. The reason for the 3 stars is the minimal pumpkin, otherwise a great classic chili recipe with great aroma.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Prep: 10 min. Cook: 55 minutes

     Nonstick cooking spray
     3/4 cup granulated sugar
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
     1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
     2 large eggs
     1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
     1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
     Whipped cream, (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees & spray 8 in. round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into pan.

Bake for 45-50 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

8 Servings

Recipe Review:
What crust? Didn't even miss the crunchy pie crust because I was craving the filling of this pie so much. The filling was so creamy and baked just right. It tasted just like Grandma used to make! I am still on my elimination diet this week, so I felt this was the perfect opportunity to test dairy with the evaporated milk. Flawlessly easy and hit the pumpkin craving spot!

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

First encounter with spaghetti squash and it was a good one! I was a little nervous with this recipe because my mom was over for dinner and I always love to impress her with my new developing skills in the kitch! The veggies were all in season and it was a fabulous dinner.

There were lots of leftovers - started to get sick of it by the fourth meal. Next time I make it, I will try freezing in individual servings for a quick meal on a busy day.

Great robust flavor! It was an excellent way to cook my veggies and protein all in one dish together.

Spaghetti Squash Turkey Primavera
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 41hour 20 min.

     1 large spaghetti squash, halved, cooked and seeded

     12 ounces ground white meat turkey or ground beef cooked

     1 tablespoon olive oil

     1 large onion, minced

     4 garlic cloves, minced

     2 green onions, minced

     8 ounces mushrooms

     4 carrots, sliced

     1 medium zucchini, sliced/quartered

     1 medium yellow squash, sliced/quartered

     Two-28 ounce cans chunky tomato sauce

     1 tomato, chopped (optional)

     2 teaspoons capers (optional)

     2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano

     2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

     2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Place each squash half cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake uncovered for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a fork goes easily into the shell. Allow to cool and scoop out the strands of squash with a large spoon and set aside.

Brown the pound of turkey.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the cooked turkey and cook for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash & tomatoes and bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add the capers, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsley; simmer for 5 minutes. If the squash has cooled too much, reheat it in the microwave, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Top the squash with the sauce and serve.

Options -

*Add some butter and seasoning to the squash before you cook it to add a little flavor.

*Cook the veggies in a little olive oil before adding to sauce if you want them cooked more.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe Review:
This is the perfect recipe for the end of the fall harvest season. Add or delete veggies as you see fit. I used a large 4 pound spaghetti squash and didn't cut it in half to cook it. Instead I only punctured it with lots of knife slits to roast it. It took a while to cook through - next time I will try 2 smaller ones and cut them in half to cut down on prep time.