Ranch Mac-n-Cheese

A big bowl of comfort food on a cold day is the best.  My family has enjoyed this meal a few times in the past few weeks and the leftovers are pretty tasty too!  I found this recipe here.

Ranch Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

1 package (16 oz.) GF elbow macaroni

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix  (or 3 TBS of dry ranch powder)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend

1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Colby cheese

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream (I used heavy cream)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, however, do NOT use salt in the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile on stove top, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix and seasonings; heat through. Stir in Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses until melted. Stir in sour cream or heavy cream.

3. Drain macaroni, stir into cheese sauce, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Taco Soup

I have never been a fan of taco soup, until now!  I had a friend share this recipe with me and the whole family LOVES it!  I think it something to do with Hormel Chili in it, our favorite canned chili.  I usually have to double it for my family of six, giving me a little bit of leftovers for lunches the following day. The recipe comes from here.  It calls for chicken, but I have left that out and just added an extra can of black beans when I make this.  Doing it this way also makes for a quick prep time if you want to do it on the stove top.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans (I use Hormel Chili with beans)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 C Beef Broth

1 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning

3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I make it without the chicken and add one more can of black beans.)

shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

sour cream (optional)

crushed tortilla chips (optional)

cilantro (optional)

fresh lime juice (optional)

Instructions:

1.         Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

2.         Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips cilantro, and lime juice, if desired.

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.

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.

Tator Tot Enchilada Bake

I love just about any meal with a tator tot involved!  The recipe comes from here.  To be honest, leftovers were even better than the first night I served this up!

Tator Tot Enchilada Bake

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion diced

1 clove garlic minced

1 can black olives sliced

1 oz. taco seasoning

16 oz. corn

4 oz. green chilies; drained and diced

12 oz. black beans; drained and rinsed

16 oz. mexican cheese  shredded

16 oz. tator tots

10.5 oz. GF enchilada sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.

Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cheddar Cornbread Waffles Served Navajo Taco Style

Dinner was awesome with these cornbread waffles.  We ate them Navajo taco style with all the fixings!

I found the recipe here.  The batter made 8 seven inch round waffles.  At first I wished that I had doubled it (because we are a family of 6), but in reality, by the time we doctored it up with fixings, one was very filling.  We drizzled honey on the remaining two and that was most delicious!

Cheddar Cornbread Waffles

1 cup all-purpose GF flour (featherlite)

1 cup cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup club soda

1/3 cup canola oil

cooking spray

Sift together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in cheese. Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients; gently stir into dry ingredients just until blended.

Spray waffle iron with cooking spray.  Pour ½ c batter into round waffle iron. Cook 3-5 minutes or until crisp and done. Repeat with remaining batter.

Transfer waffles to a baking sheet, and keep warm, uncovered, in the oven at 200° until ready to serve. Waffles can be frozen in zip-top freezer bags and reheated in oven or toaster oven.

Serve up with our favorite toppings.  We used the following:

Hormel chili

Chopped olives

Tomatoes

Shredded lettuce

Sour cream

Grated cheese

Tiny Spicy Chicken

One of our family favorites!!
This recipe came from some dear friends of ours from way back when.  This meal takes a little extra preparation, but well worth it!  I would probably call this our special occasion dinner...anniversary, Valentine's Day and sometimes Christmas Eve.  Serve it up with a side of ham fried rice or white rice and a veggie.  This is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Garlic Salt
2 Beaten Eggs
Cornstarch
Frying Oil

Sauce:
1 ½ tsp Chili Garlic Sauce or Sambal Fresh Chili Paste
1 ½ cup White Sugar
¾ cup Ketchup
3 tsp GF Soy Sauce
¾ cup Chicken Broth
6 tbsp Brown Sugar
¾ cup White Vinegar

Procedure:
Cut chicken to bite size pieces, sprinkle with garlic salt and let sit for one hour. After an hour, dip chicken into egg and then into cornstarch. Brown the chicken in a deep fryer or in oil until golden brown. Put chicken into 9 x 13 pan.

Mix white sugar, white vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, salt, chicken broth, chili paste, and brown sugar. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Pour sauce over the chicken. The sauce will be liquid at first. Put the chicken in the oven at 325 degrees. Bake for one hour, turning chicken every fifteen minutes or so. After approximately 45 minutes the sauce should have thickened and be baked to the chicken. Finish cooking and serve.

Serve over Rice.

Korean Beef or Chicken

My husband has already made it very clear that this recipe must be added into our menu rotation.  It was amazingly quick to make and was very tasty.  This was another pinterest find!  I think it would work  to use any meat of your choice as well.  Next time we make this I will be trying it with chicken.

**Update...2/1/2013...We love it with chicken!

Korean Beef
1 pound lean ground beef  (or 3-4 chicken breasts cubed)
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup GF soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (I just used dry powdered ginger)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness)
salt and pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger or chicken with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions. 

Dijon Mustard Chicken

I am so in love with how many great recipes are on Pinterest.  I have a bunch on file to try over the next little while.  I quite enjoyed this dish.  You definitely have to like mustard for this one!

Dijon Mustard Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar. Place chicken breasts into sprayed 9×13 baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour mustard mixture over chicken.  Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Season with rosemary. 

Recipe came from  here.

Quinoa Casserole

I have wanted to make a few more meals without using any type of meat but still get the protein and fill full when we are done eating.  This recipe came out tasting a lot like an enchilada in casserole form.  I adapted it from the original recipe found here.  

Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 cups cooked black beans (or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)

2 C shredded and cooked hash browns

1/4 C chopped onions

1/8 C green chilies

1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

1 TBS ground cumin

Liberal pinches salt and pepper

2 eggs

1 ½ cup salsa

2 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Extras:  Sour cream and more salsa for topping after cooking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9” x 9” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook hash browns on the stovetop.  In a large bowl, mix together the cooked quinoa, black beans, hash browns, 1⁄2 cup of the cheese, onion, green chilies and the cumin, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and the salsa. Pour the salsa mixture over the vegetables and gently blend. Pour everything into the prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro.

Panera Mac-n-Cheese (Copycat)

I came across this recipe on Pinterest several weeks ago and have made it for the family a few times and my kids love it!!

Panera Mac-n-Cheese

1 (16-oz.) package GF pasta (we like the Penne noodles from Trader Joe’s)
¼ cup butter 
1/3 cup all-purpose GF flour 
2½ cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
6 slices white American cheese, chopped 
1 cup (8 oz.) shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese 
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 
1 tsp. kosher salt 
¼ tsp. hot sauce 
Paprika (optional) 

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. 
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. 
3. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and is bubbly. Remove from heat. 
4. Add cheeses, mustard, salt and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. 
5. Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat, 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Serve immediately. 

Salsa Chicken

 My sister called me the other day and mentioned that she was trying this new recipe.  I told her to let me know how it turned out.  Yep, good enough that I got a phone call saying I had better try it!  So here it is. Thanks for sharing Cozy!!  The recipe came from here, and I switched out the creamed soup for a GF version.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1/3 C  creamed soup mix (found here)
1  1/4 C water
1-2 tsp GF chicken bullion or chicken paste
1 cup salsa
1 TB taco seasoning
1/2 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup sour cream 
optional: grated cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top when serving

Directions: 
Add dry soup mix, water and chicken bullion on stove top and cook until blended and thickened slightly.  Place chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and continue cooking until everything is heated through.  Serve over rice.

Calypso Spinach Salad - Rumbi Island Grill Copycat

We spent the last week and a half in Utah visiting family for spring break.  We went to eat at Rumbi Grill and this is the salad I chose.  It is so delicious!!  I would like to figure out how to make my own Balsamic Vinaigrette that tastes just like theirs, but until then, I just bought Smith's Brand Private Selection Creamy Balsamic Light.

Baby spinach
Grilled chicken pieces
Bacon bits
Mandarin oranges
Feta cheese
Carrots - grated
Red onion finely diced
Caramelized walnuts ( I did not use these)
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Homemade Refried Beans

Tuesday is 'Taco Tuesday' at our house and the best part of that meal is the homemade refried beans.  After eating these homemade beans, I can't bring myself to eat the 'stuff' they sell in the cans!  This recipe took me a few times to get the flavor right to our liking.  The more garlic powder and dried onions, the better!  I am able to cook  2 C of dried pinto beans in my 4 quart crock pot on high in 4-5 hours.  My crock pot cooks things really fast, so this time frame will vary with every crock pot.  The amounts I have listed for the garlic, onions and salt are just a starting point.  This is something you will have to experiment and adjust to your liking.

Refried Beans
Yield: 4-5 C refried beans
2 C dried pinto beans
2 1/2 quarts of water
1-2 TBS garlic powder or fresh minced garlic (This amount is really a personal preference)
1/4-1/3 C dried onions (This amount is really a personal preference) 
2-3 tsp salt (This amount is really a personal preference)  (but do not add this until after the beans are cooked and drained)


Place beans, garlic, onions and water in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
When beans are soft, drain and reserve juices.  Place beans in blender, add salt.  If beans are to thick, add some of the reserved juices.  Beans will thicken up as as they cool.  May serve hot or refrigerate until needed.

Seriously the best beans ever!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Delicious...no other words...

I did use chopped ham this time only because we are still trying to use up leftover holiday ham.  I also just added the salt and pepper to the seasoned crumb mix rather than sprinkling it on the chicken.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned crumbs (recipe below)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a  baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoned crumbs. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

Seasoned Crumb Recipe

1 1/2-2 C  Rice Chex cereal (then place in bag and crush with a rolling pin)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 TB parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix together in a bag.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I seriously cannot believe that I have not posted this recipe....We use it all the time!!  I LOVE the Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce, and a couple of years ago I received a collection of recipes in a cookbook that has a imitation version of their alfredo sauce.  It is SO good, you almost don't miss the bread sticks !!

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream

1 cube of real butter
2 TB Cream Cheese
1 tsp garlic ( a like to use about 2 tsp)
½ - ¾ C Parmesan Cheese
**I like to add Black Pepper (add to your liking)

Melt together whipping cream, butter and cream cheese. Add garlic and parmesan cheese. Simmer together for 15 minutes or until smooth. Will thicken slightly. Pour over cooked pasta. We like to add chicken and sometimes broccoli.

**My personal opinion...Trader Joe's has the best Brown Rice Noodles.  In our area you can get a 16 ounce bag for $1.99.  That is the cheapest price for the best tasting noodle!!

Three Beans and Bacon over Rice

The best way to describe this recipe is it  tastes just like Bush's Baked Beans or Pork n Beans.   

1/2 lb Bacon cut into small pieces ( I used turkey bacon)
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 C Onion
1/2 C Ketchup
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp-1/4 C Dijon Mustard
3 cans of different beans, rinsed and drained ( I used black, pinto and northern white beans)
1/2  C beef broth
4 C cooked rice

1. Fry bacon until crisp.
2. Brown hamburger and onion and drain.
3. Add next 7 ingredients and simmer on stove for 1 hour.

Serve over cooked rice.

Pita Bread Pockets

These pita bread pockets turned out really well.  The first few I rolled out were a little on the small side, but I made the last two much bigger and they held a lot more of the yummy sandwich stuffing.  We tried it with chopped up turkey lunch meat as well grilled barbequed chicken.  My husbands last words were: "we can definitely have these again!"

Pita Bread

1 pkg yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/2 C warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 C brown rice flour
1/2 C tapioca flour
1 C sorgum flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 C warm water
1 egg or 1 TBS ground flaxseed mixed with 3 TBS warm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 C warm water.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes unitl water is frothy.

Combine flours, xanthan gum and salt in large bowl using a heavy duty mixer (Bosch or Kitchen Aid).  Pour in yeast mixture and egg and mix on meduim for 2 minutes.  Add enough water so that dough is soft and tacky, not liquid.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl.  Turn upside down so all dough is oiled.  Allow to sit in a warm place for about 2-3 hours or until it has increased in size.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Using bottom rack of oven, place baking sheet in oven as it preheats.

Pinch of 12 small  pieces of dough and place them on a floured surface.  Roll each ball into a circle about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.  Place several circles on preheated baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes (until bread puffs up).  Turn over and bake for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove pitas from baking sheet with spatula.  Serve immediately.

Fill pitas with favorite sandwich condiments...lettuce, meat, cheese, olives, pickles, mayo and mustard.

FYI:
I use SAF instant yeast which does not need to be proofed.  So I added the dry yeast and sugar to the dry ingredients.  Then when the recipe calls for the liquids, that is when I added the 1/2 C warm water, egg and remaining 1/2-1 C warm water.

Sweet Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes

This has been an awesome summer addition to our dinners.  There is just something great about tomatoes and sausage together!  Even my three year old had multiple servings.

6 links Whole Ranch Sweet Italian Sausage (I just used the horseshoe shaped ones I get from Sam's or Costco)

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 large garlic cloves finely chopped

3 TBS fresh oregano finely chopped (or 1 TBS dried oregano)

1 pound of zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 pound mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half (I only had red)

1/2 C chopped fresh basil (I used about 1 1/2 tsp dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare sausages according to package directions, either in a sauté pan or on the grill. While they are cooking, heat olive oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds, then add zucchini and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

When sausages are cooked, cut into large bite-sized pieces and add to pan along with tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a large platter and serve.

**The first time I made this I followed the directions as outlined above.  I felt like between the olive oil and the grease from the sausage in was a bit to much.  So the second time I did not use the olive oil.  I just cooked the sliced sausage pieces until heated through and then add the remaining ingredients and followed the remainder of the recipe as above.

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

2/3 C dry potato flakes
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 TB Italian seasoning
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
3 lbs of chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
1/3 C olive oil

Heat oven to 375°. Grease or line with foil a baking sheet or a 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and oil. Stir until well mixed. Dip
chicken into oil and then roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in prepared pan.
Bake 45-60 or until chicken is golden brown.