Sweet and Sour Meatballs

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it is one I can stock up in the freezer with. I will buy about 5 1/2 pounds of ground beef and make it all into meatballs (Adjust the recipe accordingly). I make mine about the size of a golf ball and fill a cookie sheet or two and freeze them for about an hour. At that point I bag them up in freezer bags and voila , I now have at least five or six meals that I can pull out and all I have to do is make up the sauce and rice!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup GF rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
A pinch of pepper
1 teaspoon GF Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Form into balls. Place in sprayed casserole dish. Cover with sauce (below). Bake at 350 degree for about 30 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings, Serve over rice and with a veggie or salad on the side.

Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 cup GF BBQ  sauce
1 teaspoon GF Worcestershire sauce

**I have started adding chopped green and red peppers and pineapple to our meatballs to give it some color.  Add to your liking...

Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat and pour over meatballs.

** I also double the sauce because I like mine saucy.

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Fall is in the air and at the moment it feels great!  I wish we could bottle this temperature for several months!  I saw this recipe posted on Facebook  which lead me to Picky Palate and had to try it.  I do love her blog and have tried many of her recipes.  For the first time ever, I did not have any ice cream in my house, but still wanted to try these.  I just used heavy cream instead.  They turned out really well, which only means that doing it with melted ice cream must be amazing! I also do not have a doughnut pan, so I just made mine in my mini bundt pan.  This recipe made 10 mini pumpkin cakes.  Would definitely double it next time.

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup GF featherlite flour 

½ tsp xanthan gum

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream (measured before melting) (I used heavy whipping cream)

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream (you may need a couple tablespoons more if too thick)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray mini bundt pan or doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, pumpkin, egg, vanilla and pudding mix into a large mixing bowl.

3. Place ice cream into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds or until just barely melted. Pour into mixing bowl and combine with other ingredients until well combined. Scoop batter into prepared doughnut or mini bundt pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until baked through. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

4. To prepare the glaze, place powdered sugar and cream into a bowl, whisking to combine. Add more cream if needs thinning out. Dip tops of donuts or mini cakes in glaze and serve!

Makes 9-11 donuts or mini bundt cakes

Green Chili Chicken

Looking to add a little kick to your chicken?  This has good flavor but not too spicy and hot.

I changed the directions up a bit, but the original recipe came from here.

Green Chili Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 1 1/2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese

 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained

 1/2 packet dry GF fajita seasoning

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9 inch square baking dish (or similar size) with cooking spray. Place fajita seasoning in a plastic bag.  Add chicken and shake to coat.

Place chicken into the baking dish and top with green chilies. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove baking dish from oven. Drain juices, and top with pepperjack cheese.  Return to oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and browned slightly. Remove and serve.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

I have tried a lot of things to make GF oats taste good and have failed miserably! I came across this recipe per pinterest and was surprised at how much my whole family loved it! I only made a small amount the first time around to make sure it was a keeper, and it definitely is! This is what we have had for breakfast everyday for a week now, which says a lot!  I love that is doesn't have all the added 'stuff' they put in our food these days....

Instant Homemade Oatmeal

6 cups GF quick rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill)

1 cup dry milk powder

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice (I did not have / use this)

1 teaspoon salt

1) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

2) Mix well.

3) Store in a large container. Label and date. Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months (it never lasts that long at our house, but good to know anyways).

Directions for use: Shake the container to mix ingredients. In a small pot, heat 2/3 cup water to boiling. Add 1/3 cup oatmeal mix. Note: There is approx. 1/3 cup of oatmeal in a packet of instant oatmeal. You may prefer to increase this amount based on the size of servings needed. Reduce heat and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached, stir frequently. Can also heat in microwave for one minute.

This is just a base (which tastes amazing by itself!), but you could easily add in any additional dried fruit, fresh fruit or maple syrup.