Sausage and cabbage, a low-carb, gluten-free, and tasty dish from Pinterest

A couple of weeks ago I saw this recipe for kielbasa and cabbage on Pinterest. The photo above, is the original recipe for Kielbasa and Cabbage from Very Culinary. I showed my husband and we cooked it the very next day. I didn't follow their recipe. I just used kielbasa and cabbage. Those two ingredient and nothing else. I thought the kielbasa would have plenty of salt, fat, and flavor. I was right. It was very good.

My husband thought it had a little too much flavor for him and we made it again this week with smoked sausage. It was milder and still was packed with flavor. Above is the photo found via Pinterest on thevindicator.com from an October recipe. Their recipe uses smoked sausage and my finished dish looked a little more like this. This recipe is a more spiced up version using a number of ingredients, and I'm sure it is really good. I just again used the sausage and cabbage. No other ingredients at all in just one pan. Easy, quick, tasty.

My house did smell a bit like cabbage but the sausage elevated the aroma and it really did smell great.

Make sure you check the ingredients and buy gluten free kielbasa or smoked sausage. In addition to it being gluten-free, it is also low in carbs, which is exactly what I need to get past the weight I gained over the holidays.

Back to Blogging! Gluten-free The Au Natural Way!

It's the new year! I love the start of a new year. There is something about that new beginning. For me it's not really about resolutions, though I certainly feel they have their value. It is more about the fact that anything is possible. I just have to get up and get started at whatever that thing is.

Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. I love that time of year - celebrating the birth of Christ and spending time with family and friends. It is wild and hectic in a beautiful way. But I must admit that I am also happy to take the Christmas decorations down, put them away, and start working on other things.

So here I find myself. On other things. And what better way to get back on track after all that holiday eating than to focus on ways to eat gluten-free that don't involve fancy flours and processed starches? You want gluten-free the easy way? How's this: Grill or bake some chicken, steam some broccoli, bake some potatoes, and make a salad.

Don't get me wrong. I like my complicated ways of making cakes and cookies and goodies that fool even the most sensitive "gluten-free haters." I have to admit, however, that I've put on a bit of weight focusing on those recipes over the last couple of years.

Not that I won't be working on those recipes here and there as well - we all have those special occasions, after all - but I wanted share with you those healthier recipes that will help us feel great starting the new year.  You can check out some things I am looking for on my Pinterest board, Kid Friendly Clean Meals:

http://www.pinterest.com/noapologiesgf/kid-friendly-clean-meals/


And I will be sharing the things I have tried here as well as my own recipes that work along those lines. I hope you will share yours with me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hearty Beef and Potato Soup

Nothing says "fall" like a hearty, one-pot-meal soup. And it is easy. I *might* have mentioned in previous posts that I like an easy, gluten-free meal. Because I really do. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs Beef tips or stew meat

6-8 red potatoes, cut in chunks

1 onion, chopped 

1 package frozen green beans

1 package frozen okra

1 package frozen corn niblets

1 package peas and carrots

Salt and pepper to taste

Now the directions are my favorite part: Dump all ingredients  in your large slow cooker and cook on low all day (8 hrs). Serve in a big bowl on a cold night. Gluten-free saltines or gf cornbread goes well with this soup, but is certainly not required!

A Great After-Thanksgiving GF Meal

Our family had such a nice Thanksgiving but, I am one of those cooks who probably overestimated how much my family would need on Thanksgiving, and the day after, and the next day, and ...

You get the idea! I had too many leftovers.

We were all a bit tired of heating up leftovers with food that was way too heavy. I decided to make a casserole that was a bit lighter with my leftovers, plus it needed to be gluten-free. I had seen those casseroles for leftover turkey with cheese biscuits cooked on top and I decided I could make a good gf version that could be a crowd pleaser, if I used that model.

The leftovers I wanted to incorporate: turkey, gravy, cream-style corn. The things I decided to add: chopped carrots, celery, onions, parsley and of course some lower-fat cheese biscuits for the topping.

And the result was a great casserole that smelled delicious and one that everyone really enjoyed. It was kind of like we had it for the first time rather than a recycled meal.

I even had enough to share with my Mom. We made it a Happy after Thanksgiving Non Warmed-Over Casserole that lifted our spirits. You ought to try it.

Here's my recipe. Mine is gluten-free. Of course this would be good if self-rising wheat flour were used, too,

Turkey Casserole with Cheesy Biscuit Topping
(Gluten-Free)

4-5 cups pre-cooked chopped turkey
3 small carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 onion (about 1/4 cup), chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 to 1/2 cups creamed corn
1-1/2 cup gravy (or substitute 1 can of broth with 1 tablespoon corn starch stirred in)
Biscuit topping (recipe below)

In a large greased casserole dish layer turkey, carrots, celery, onion, and parsley. Mix together the corn and gravy (or broth mixture) and pour over the top of the ingredients in the casserole dish. Top with Biscuit Topping and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until topping is nice and browned. To serve: dish out biscuit and turn over, then spoon filling over the top of the biscuit.

Biscuit Topping
1/2 cup sweet (glutinous) rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1-1/4 cups buttermilk (more if needed)

 Mix together rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, xanthan gum, and garlic salt. Mix in small pieces of butter with a pastry knife. Mix in cheese. Pour buttermilk into mixture and stir until well mixed. Mixture will be thinner than regular biscuit batter. Spoon on top of the Turkey Casserole and bake as directed.

Bringing Joy With Gluten-free Baked Chicken Nuggets

Don't you love the gratifying experience of cooking something for your friends and family that they simply gush over? Perhaps it was a new recipe, and you worried over whether or not everyone was going to enjoy it. But enjoy it they did. It's one of my favorite experiences, and I think it it's because I feel I am spreading a little bit of joy.

Something even better happened to me the other day, and it is my favorite part of having written a gluten-free cookbook. A friend of mine to whom I had gifted a copy of our book stopped me to say, "I tried that baked chicken nugget recipe the other day, and my kids loved it! I was so happy! And I felt good that it wasn't fried!"

And this woman has seven children, five of whom still live with her.

It's in moments like these when I feel like the hard work I've done helped someone. Someone who has to cook gluten-free because her youngest son has a wheat allergy was helped in a small way because of me. That makes me feel great!

In the world today ruled by the self-esteem mentality, the best way to feel good about yourself is helping someone else! I love it!

Here's the recipe if you'd like to give them a try:

“Oven-fried” Chicken Nuggets

2-1/2 to 3 cups Rice Chex® or other unsweetened, gluten-free cereal
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
Cooking spray
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into nugget-sized pieces Salt and pepper to taste
Onion powder
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white rice flour

Prepare the Rice Chex by crushing the cereal in a blender on low or in a food processor. Pour crushed cereal into a bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the crumbs and mix well.
Before cooking, place a wire rack inside a large baking pan. Spray the rack with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle with olive oil. Sprin- kle with onion powder, if desired. Place rice cereal into a medium-sized bowl. Break eggs into a small bowl and beat well. Dredge chicken in rice flour, then eggs, then roll in crushed cereal. Place chicken on top of the rack placed on the large baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes on one side, turn all pieces over, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until chicken is completely done and coating is nicely browned. Serves 4.

NOTE: I don't actually drag out a blender or food processor to do this. I keep a box of checks for this purpose, and I roll over the whole bag (that is inside the box) with a roller and use what I need and save the rest - or you could crush it with your hands. Easy to do with less to clean up!

Gluten-free Cheesecake Trial 1: Excellent!

Look at this beautiful cheesecake made gluten-free by Deberah. Isn't she amazing! We shared this cake without or football friends and family at our game this past Saturday, and it was a HUGE hit! The crust was excellent; the cake was decadent. Deberah is still working on the recipe because the top of the cake "cracked" a bit, which is more about appearance - but it is one of her cheesecake pet peeves. We will share when we get it just right. And by "we," I mean "my mother, Deberah."

Gluten-free Sloppy Joes Makes for Excellent Tailgating!

I know sloppy joes are such a "kid" meal, but I'm not ashamed to admit I love them as much as my kids - even though I always get that Adam Sandler song stuck in my head every time someone says, "Sloppy joe."

This Saturday past, we had a great football game, and a great tailgate with these sloppy joes made with Udi's gluten-free buns, which are the go-to brand when we don't have time to make our own. We also had a veggie tray, fruit, soft drinks, and water. Not to mention my mom's new gluten-free cheesecake. I will share more about it tomorrow!