Oatmeal and Raisin Snack Bars

This has been a hit with the kids. The first time I tried it, I used just the Quinoa and it was way to nutty flavored. So the second time I tried it with the GF oats and I added chocolate chips. They tasted really good. I also halved the recipe and received the thickness of bars shown here below. We will definitely be making this one again. This recipe comes from Living Without.


Makes 24 Bars

1⅓ cups gluten-free rolled oats or 1 cup
quinoa flakes
1 cup sorghum flour
¾ cup white or brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca starch/flour
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1⅔ cups light brown sugar, not packed
⅔ cup canola oil or other vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup raisins, soaked in warm water

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2.In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3.In medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla.
4.Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix with a fork or wooden spoon until blended.
5.Drain raisins, reserving ¼ cup liquid. Fold raisins into batter. Add reserved liquid, a little at a time until batter is smooth. Batter will be thick.
6.Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
7.Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or squares. To store, wrap and freeze.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork or Chicken

This meal requires a few hours in the kitchen, but well worth the effort! I came across this recipe on another blog I was reading, Family Favorite Recipes. It is not a GF blog, but a lot of the recipes could and can be converted to GF. My husband likes pork and the kids and myself like chicken, so the first time I made this, we used pork and then tried it again another night with chicken. Both were a success. My mom has tried it using a roast and said it tasted great. We made it tostada style as well as taco style. With the tostada style, I lightly browned the tortilla on a griddle until crispy, and then topped with rice, beans, meat, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream.

This one is with the pork, served with the Cilantro Ranch and tortilla chips.

SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can RED enchilada sauce (I used Rosarita, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Corn Tortillas for serving finished pork on

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 C of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

BLACK BEANS
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

For the taco style, I warmed the tortilla up on a griddle, filled it with rice, beans, meat and cheese. I then folded the tortilla in half and placed in the oven on a baking sheet and broiled it on high until it was golden brown. I removed it and topped it with tomatoes.