Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

Thanks to my cousin Dave and his family who are traveling and this week are spending some time on the French Island of St Pierre, Martinique, I was inspired by his dinner post of pasta and veggies with Salami for dinner.  I opened the fridge and attempted to create something similar and fresh and exciting.  Mine was vegetarian (no salami) but still so great!  Not  something I would normally make but I enjoyed it so much I am adding it to my regular schedule of meals! 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 stick of butter (or butter substitute)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
10 -12 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 sun dried tomatoes in oil, sliced
1 tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt

Prehead a cast iron skillet to medium.  Add olive oil and butter.  Then add roasted red peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, capers, garlic and crushed red pepper.  Saute'  until for about 5-8 minutes stirring every couple minutes.  Add salt and wine.  Stir as reduces about 2-3 minutes.  Serve over pasta. 

** This is not a super saucy dish.  If you like more sauce double the olive oil, butter and wine. **

Husband Catchin' Biscuits

For as many years as I can remember my mom has been making these biscuits that she or someone dubbed "Husband Catchin' Biscuits."  I have no idea where the name actually came from, but growing up in SE Texas, I can only imagine.  When it came to Christmas Eve Dinner, and I had no idea what to make, I saw a biscuit recipe online and it reminded me of this one.  The actual recipe is NOT gluten free so I made the first attempt at making them GF!  I was so excited that they turned out well and actually tasted good too!!  Score one for me :)   Hope you enjoy & share!! 

3 cups GF Bisquick Mix (1 box)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup club soda
butter

Mix the bisquick, sour cream and club soda together.  The mix will be a bit sticky.  If it isn't wet enough add a bit more club soda.  I started with 1 cup and added to 1 1/2 at the end.  Use a spoon and drop the biscuit mix onto a baking stone and add a pat of butter to the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 until browned.  This makes 18-24 biscuits depending on the size that you drop them. 

Gluten Free is not a FAD for ME!!

It is not often that I use this as a soap box or a place to rant.  I use this as a place to educate and share recipes.  I love to cook and create and thru the process of learning that I CANNOT eat gluten, I have come to learn that so many out there do not know much about gluten or what it means when someone says "Do you have a Gluten Free Menu?" 

I read labels... All labels, from food, to cleaners to shampoos and soaps.  Anything that has a label that enters my home, is GF!  This is not because I have "jumped on the GF band wagon to lose weight" but because thru process of elimination and after many years of being sick, we have figured out that the culprit is GLUTEN!  There is no magic pill but it is fairly simple... don't eat it or ingest it, don't put it on your skin if it irritates it!  So that is what I have done.  And I feel FABULOUS! 

So, I was very surprised when I opened my "People Magazine" Best and Worst of 2012 today and saw a very small notation about "Gluten Free" in it! Trends of the Year (page 22) under  5 Tastes of the Town  - #5 was GF - Miley Cyrus and Elisabeth Hasselbeck followed the food fad. 

Now, I will say I have not read Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book... I have heard of people who read it and those people have had mixed opinions.  I will not give one because I did not read it.  I do not support individuals who chose the GF diet simply to lose weight. 

Those of us, who with or without an "actual diagnosis of Celiac Disease" but are still Gluten Intolerant and cannot handle Gluten in their diet know the affects of the Gluten on their bodies.  This is very upsetting to me.  When a celebrity uses the GF diet as a way to lose weight and puts it out for the world to see, the rest of us who are GF for an actual health reason lose credence.  The restaurant staff wonders if we are just on a "diet"?  This is a serious health concern for many of us... This is not for weight loss, though it may help, it is for our life! 

Please remember when someone asks you if there is a GF option available that they probably are not on a diet but have an actual health concern! 

Chicken Masala

Adapted from www.thegraciouspantry.com - Thanks to Tiffany for the idea.  One of the things that I have found lately is that, even though I love to cook, I rarely follow a "recipe" the way that it is written.  This happens for a variety of reasons:  (1)  I have food allergies/issues and have learned to sub ingredients that I can have for those that I cannot; (2) I sometimes run out of ingredients during the process (as in this time) and have to make do; (3) I just think it would be "better" with what I LIKE in it, so it becomes mine!  These are also reasons, that more often than not, I browse the net and recipe books for "ideas" and then browse the pantry and fridge for what I have on hand and out comes an idea!  Usually the ideas are yummy and edible... sometimes they are not!  But here we go with someone very new to my kitchen... a variety of chicken called Chicken Masala...  Please Share & Enjoy!

1 cup unsweetened almond or light coconut milk (I used almond milk)
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (or more to taste after done cooking)
2 (15 oz.) cans light coconut milk, unsweetened
6-8 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (no sugar added)
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions - 2 Options 

Option 1 – Combine all ingredients (except the cilantro) in a 5 quart crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Stir occasionally during cooking process to be sure the chicken gets submerged in the liquids. NOTE: It will start out looking a bit thick and dry, but the liquids will release into the pot after about an hour or so of cooking. If this does not happen for some reason and you feel it will burn without more liquids, add 1/2 to 1 cup of clean, low-sodium chicken broth. But wait a full hour before doing so.

Option 2:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Add chicken and all wet ingredients to the bottom of a dutch oven.  Add all the spices to a bowl pour over chicken.  Put the lid on the dutch oven and place in middle rack.  Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours.  Check after 1 hour.  Be mindful that there will be quite a bit of juice and it may slosh as you pull the rack out. 

I chose Option 2 because I did not have the time to cook in the crock pot.  My chicken turned out very well, although it was not as shredded as some might have liked.  This serves 6-8 people. 

Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.  Whichever your family prefers! 

Pumpkin Turkey Mac

Adapted from www.momadvice.com Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked fabulous!  So as usual, I made it my own :)  Thanks to Amy at MomAdvice for giving me the idea! 


1 tbsp minced garlic or 2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound package of Spicy/Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from its casing)
1 can pumpkin puree (not Pumpkin Pie mix)
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used low sodium veggie because it's what I had)
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp sage (I used 2 fresh sage leaves, sliced very thin)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 pound penne or rotini pasta (I used GF elbow pasta)

In a large skillet sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up with your spoon as you cook it. Remove turkey sausage and garlic from the skillet. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and deglaze the pan using a wire whisk, to bring up all of the flavors stuck to the pan. Whisk in the sour cream, pumpkin, and seasonings. Simmer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Drain pasta and stir into the pumpkin mixture along with the pasta water,  turkey sausage, simmering for another three minutes or until the sauce thickens and hugs the pasta. Stir in parsley and garnish with Romano and more parsley.

Witch Doctor Soup (updated January 2014)

I am thankful to have someone in my life who share's her vast knowledge of herbs and natural ingredients. As you can tell, often my body hates me for a variety of reasons. So I have turned to trying to furnish it with fuel that helps it and not adding antibiotics and other things that will bring it down again. So a very special thank you to "Aunt Linda" for giving me this recipe which I of course modified but kept the most important things in tact :)

I have also learned a couple of things:

• I love CILANTRO! Well, I already knew this as did many of you. But what I did not know is that cilantro is good for you and has great healing properties! After reviewing multiple sources I have determined that cilantro is known to be a good source of dietary fiber and iron, magnesium and manganese. It is also known to be an anti-inflammatory and to assist in chelation (the removal of heavy metals from the body).
• I eat loads of GARLIC!!! Not new to you guys!! Garlic is also very good for you! It is believed that garlic has antibiotic properties. My Aunt swears by this! I will say that in my experience I do eat quite a bit of garlic and when I make this soup, I do feel better. Maybe it is the combination of ingredients, or maybe it is just one, but the alternative is meds... and I choose healthy food! 
• Cayenne Pepper... Well based on what I read, there are so many good things about Cayenne Pepper I could not begin to list them all! Let's just say I will begin to use it more than I already do! 
• Onions are YUMMY! They may give you bad breath but they are good for you and taste oh, so good :) Onions are known to have anti-bacterial properties. Is this well known? I am not sure, but I have read quite a few sites and one site even says to cut and onion and put it by your bed when you have a throat or chest cold. The onion will absorb the infection. I may try it just to see next time! 

 ** Please note: I am not a doctor. The web is full of crazy things. These are all things that I have read on multiple sites or heard from others before/after I read them. Consult a doctor before acting on anything. **

The basic recipe for "Witch Doctor Soup" is as follows:

1 box GF Low Sodium Chicken/veggie stock
8-10 cloves of garlic - peeled
1 large onion, peeled and halved or small diced*
1 bunch of cilantro - washed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Add the stock, garlic, onion, 1/2 cilantro and the cayenne pepper to a pot bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the cilantro and add the rest chopped.

*At this point it is up to you if you remove the onion - I do.  If you prefer to eat it, just small dice before adding it to the pot.

This is a STAPLE when I am not feeling well and make it because of all the healing properties.  It is a great basic soup that if you like you can add anything you like, but this is what I usually add:

 1/2 - 1 box of GF pasta
 1/2 lb bonless skinless chicken chunks (pre-cooked)
 4 oz shredded carrots

If you are going to add the pasta and chicken, double the recipe above.  Once you bring the soup to a boil then add the pasta when there is the required pasta cooking time left (i.e. 8 minutes).  Your soup is ready after that.  Follow the same steps to remove the cilantro and replace with freshly chopped for serving.   Yes, I recognize that is LOADS of garlic, but the healing properties are worth it and hey everyone will be eating it so you will all be breathing on each other!  :)  Share & Enjoy!

Spinach Stroganoff

This recipe was adapted as most of mine are from a recipe that I found in an All You magazine that was sent to me by a great friend. I haven't eaten beef since 2007 and when I saw a recipe for Stroganoff that wasn't beef I was excited. I can't say that this one was loaded with Gluten, although when it says serve with pasta - I automatically wonder which one of the GF versions I am going to pull out of the pantry for the night. So after a couple of different attempts to modify the recipe, this is what I have come up with! Hope you guys enjoy it!! (Oh, and I cheat... this one has Sour Cream!!!)

1 tbsp olive oil 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 container of sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms 1/2 (3 oz) jar julienne cut Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil 1 bag of baby spinach 3/4 cup veggie stock 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper S&P to taste 2/3 cup of Sour Cream

Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes with the oil in olive oil over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the veggie stock and turn down to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach to wilt and remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve over your favorite GF (or regular) pasta! Make sure to oil or butter your pasta so it doesn't stick if you are going to have left over pasta! This is a recipe that is easily doubled. I usually get 3 meals (or can feel 3 people out of this). Share and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

This makes a large pot of Chicken Pot Pie to be served Family Style with Biscuits instead of a biscuit topping... It may take a bit longer to cook, but it warms both the heart and the home and smells divine while cooking!

2 Large Chicken Breasts - Poached and Shredded 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large yellow/white onion, diced 3-4 ribs celery, diced 1 container baby bella mushrooms, rough chop 2 large Yukon Gold Potatos, small dice 2 cups carrots, diced 2 cups fresh green beans, 1" pieces 1 1/2 cups frozen corn 6-8 cups hot chicken stock 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp thyme S&P 2 Cups GF Bisquick 2 tsp Dried Dill 2/3-1 Cup warm GF Chicken Stock (I use my poaching liquid)

Add oil, onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes and carrots to a large cast iron dutch oven on medium high heat. Saute for about 5 minutes and turn down to medium. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and the shredded chicken and herbs. Let cook stirring occasionally for 45 minutes to an hour (my stove was on 4). During the cooking process I added a couple of cups of stock as I went. After the potatoes and carrots were softening up, I added the green beans and corn and turned the stove down to simmer (dial on 2) and let it cook for another hour. At this point you will want to check the salt level. You probably won't want to add more but if you need to this is the time to do it. The stock/poaching liquid will have some in it also. Add the GF Bisquick, dill and 2/3 of the warm stock to a bowl and mix. If the mixture is a bit dry you can add up to 1 1/2 cups of stock. You don't want it too runny though. I bake these as drop biscuits for 15 minutes on my pizza stone in 2 batches. It makes about 20 large spoon size biscuits. Serve the pot pie in a bowl with 2 biscuits per person on top (or on the side if you like). This was based on a Rachael Ray recipe that I saw on TV last year before my Dad came to visit and since I could not eat it the way she made it, I spent time trying to make it my own. I would consider this one a success. It was so cool, but the mosquitos had not gone away yet! We had so much rain, and the cool weather came to visit, I wanted to warm up the house but not turn on the heat (classic Heather)! This smells so yummy and taste's even better! Share & enjoy!!

Apple Ring Pancakes

4-5 Medium Apples, Cored, Peeled (I used Macintosh) 1 Cup GF Pancake Mix (Bisquick or Cherrybrook Kitchen is good) 3/4-1 Cup Almond Milk (unsweet) 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg Preheat a griddle to the highest setting. Core and peel the apples and slice into rings. I was able to get 4-5 rings out of each apple. Mix the pancake mix, milk and spices until it is a bit runnier than regular pancake batter. I used a bit more milk than my mix called for. Dip each ring in the pancake batter and then cook on the griddle just as you would a pancake. The apple will be come a bit soft in the middle but still have some bite! Just another way to use up the bounty of apples from the farm this year :) I adopted this from a recipe that I found on Pinterest. Since I am Gluten Free and eliminate Dairy as much as possible you will find that I recreate much of what I find... This one turned out very well! I did not even add butter or any type of syrup to dunk! The apples become super sweet when cooked!! Share and enjoy!

Farmer's Market Bounty & Independence Day 2012

On Sunday morning I awoke so excited to explore the Farmer's Market to see what they had to offer. What a wonderful bounty I was to find!! I find it interesting that when I see things on the farmers table and I am not sure what I am looking at, I just ask the farmer: "What is it? How do I cook it?" And then I buy it! I have bought things like... Brussel Sprouts! Yes, I know!! I have come to love them too!! Beets! They are so good... and Mom and I developed a recipe for "Beet Rice" (even Dad eats it:) Cheddar Cauliflower is my newest find... and I brush it with a bit of olive oil and just salt and pepper it and roast it in the oven for 25 minutes. I did this (on 400) and it was fabulous!! It tasted so buttery and there was NO BUTTER anywhere! Swiss Chard is something you have probably read about on here often... I LOVE IT!! It is one of the most simple and easy things that I make! It is fresh, colorful, low in calories and high Vitamins A, C & K! I saute' it in olive oil with a bit of minced garlic and a dash of Tobasco, until slightly wilted! It takes about 5-8 minutes! Very simple and healthy! I was also fortunate enough to get fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil... this if you are on my Facebook, turned into Caprese Salad! It was scrumptious!! Oh, so perfect!! Just add a bit of sea salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you are set! Blueberries and peaches were the fruit pick for the week! I have eaten a peach every day! They have been so good and perfectly ripe, there was nothing needed to do... Just slice and eat! The blueberries are going to be eaten today on this Independence Day 2012! Today's menu will include a Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper GF Pizza; Grilled Chicken Sausage and Yellow Squash; more Swiss Chard & Blueberry Shortcakes! Sounds like a wide variety to make everyone happy! Happy Independence Day 2012!

Working, Traveling & Such... The last 6 months!

I did not realize it had been quite so long since I had updated this site... I guess I should be better about it! It has been a crazy 6 months! WOW!! I have gotten back in to traveling for work and for fun a bit. I have enjoyed it but I will say it hasn't come without its scary moments! I always worry that I am going to get "poisoned" as we call it in my family. Since I have such a bad reaction to Gluten it feels like poison! I spent my first Christmas here in NY without my "family" meaning Mom & Dad and Michael... but I have been able to meet great people who have become part of my "NY family"! I am so grateful to them for always including me and making an effort to eat what I can. It has been a blessing to also know that their daughter is GF and so they know the challenges. It is amazing how God puts people in your life just when you need them. January brought a huge bombshell that included a possible chance to leave NY... But what it really gave me was the opportunity to look inside myself and realize that for the last 8 years I have been fortunate to have a career that I really enjoy. But is a career all that I want out of this life? I know that the answer is emphatically "NO"... Now, what to do with this knowledge?? I have been searching for an answer to this... and while doing that, I have been traveling, meeting new people, working on myself and attempting to find answers to a few pressing questions in my life! I feel so much better as a person and hope that this shows on the outside also! I have developed that I do enjoy my time in the GYM! I know, that there was a huge collective gasp from many of you out there!! Heather, the uncoordinated, blonde who thought that exercise was going for walk has developed a passion for working out! YES!!! What I have really decided is that (1) it helps me sleep, (2) that once I have rid myself of all the negative products that I was putting in it, I actually feel like being active again, (3) I actually have energy and want to use it to get this body into shape again!! Once I realized I didn't have to be the FAT girl anymore, I didn't want to be!!! Now, I am in the gym about 4 or 5 days a week and I feel great!! In March I traveled to Walt Disney World for the first time since I was a kid! Wow, how it has changed but I loved it! Disney does cater to those with food allergies but I will say that I was still TERRIFIED!! What if I was cross contaminated?! How would I deal with being sick the rest of the trip? Thankfully we hit up Target the first night there and got many goodies that I could eat and I just took stuff with me that I could eat. It was a wonderful trip spent with my family! I also went Atlanta to see a great friend!! I have learned a couple of things from my trips... The South eats a lot of fried stuff and stuff with flour!! It was quite challenging to eat in Atlanta but I did survive! I am thinking I will stay here where I have my great GF place... Sherry Lynn's!!! Lot's of NY travel for work has been great! But the smaller towns are quite difficult when it comes to food. The most interesting fun thing that has happened is we stayed in the small town where "Nightmare on Elm Street" was based on... Hope everyone has a wonderful summmer! More posts to come! Enjoy and Share!! Heather