Today is Chinese New Year! And as you know because you are an amazing super-deal-shopper, when a holiday comes around, the sales are good. Right now, soybeans called edamame, coconut milk, and other Asian flavors are readily available at awesome prices! Here's one of our favorite Asian recipes that is gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian. It's easy and fast. It's a … [Read more...]
Italian Salad with Homemade Balsamic Dressing
I love me some balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's a RARE occasion that I don't order it with a salad when out for dinner. And I LOVE to make it at home for my lunch salads. {More on my recent 'saladforlunch-atarian' confession.} I think balsamic vinaigrette 'goes' on just about any salad, but it's especially delicious on this Italian inspired salad. Toss this gluten free … [Read more...]
BLT Salad
So. I'm a 'salad-for-lunch-atarian.' I eat salads for lunch almost every day. 6.5 times a week. And the day that I don't have salad, I have bowl of black bean or vegetable soup. Really, just to keep from being burnt out on salads for lunch. I usually throw 2 to 3 veggies on top, depending on what's in the fridge from the sales that week. I sometimes add protein on top - … [Read more...]
Gluten Free Vegetable and Bean Gumbo
My husband has begged for me to make this simple recipe since his mother made it over the summer. Now that it's winter, I really see the need to humor him. Blended okra (or sliced if you like the flavor and texture) thickens the gumbo. Corn starch is an acceptable alternative if okra isn't available in your grocer's freezer. Speaking of the freezer, this meal is freezable … [Read more...]
Chicken Pineapple Curry
Right before Christmas, Cuatro and I flew up to Pittsburgh to spend the week with my sister, niece and brand spanking new nephew. I was there to help her entertain my niece, so she could nap... And to get some meals into her freezer... And just be there for moral support while her husband was busy working strange shifts at the hospital... And to help with the middle of … [Read more...]
Skillet Nachos
Ok. More iphone picts. I apologize that they aren't as great as what we usually share. I have found my SD card and will get back to regular photos in Feb! Let's talk about these skillet nachos and why we love them. It's all in one pan. You know how I love One Dish meals. I devoted an entire cookbook to them. This is basically all the flavors of 7 Layer Dip...just … [Read more...]
Chocolate Lava Popcorn
This stuff will knock your socks off. We love making popcorn in the air popper. Just the other day, the kids figured out that they could put the popped popcorn back into popper and it will fly everywhere when they plug it back in! (Yes, I was watching...and was curious as to what they were up to and closely supervised the entire event. I had just popped some popcorn and … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Smoky Brisket & Cajun 15 Bean Soup
Oh my smoky good-gracious-ness. Please, take a spoon and reach through the screen for a bite. I picked up half a pound of brisket from a nearby BBQ joint and dropped into the slow cooker with a bag of beans and other pantry staples...and WOW-WY! This is a fantastic way to use up any leftover BBQ meat...or you could just order extra next time you go out! I love pairing … [Read more...]
Pork Chops, Red Potatoes & Apple Skillet Dinner
My boys love pork chops. I like pork chops with apple sauce. Because it just seems like the right thing to serve with pork chips. Well, here's a non-applesauce version of pork chops...using fresh apples instead. Because I'm a rebel like that. Seriously, this is some amazing food. Also, please pardon the iphone photos here. The baby ran off with my SD card for my camera … [Read more...]
Freezer Friendly Black Bean Tamale Pie
A Mexican New Year's food tradition is tamales. These are made of corn flour and are wrapped and steamed in a corn husk. They are very pretty and have a wide variety of flavors that can take you from breakfast to dinner. I enjoy tamales as long as someone else makes them. They take up a lot of space to store and cook, are challenging to reheat in large quantities, and … [Read more...]