Author: mitchellmeals

Chili

My sister-in-law Stephanie makes a great chili, and she shared the recipe with us. I love hominy and bell peppers, so we add those in. We’ve also made this with a pound of cubed, cooked pork chops for an extra meaty chili–haha, we called it “Meaty Meat Meat Chili”. You can make this in a pot or let it simmer in the crock pot.

And this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sour Cream and Cheese to top
  • Corn Muffins
  • Melon or Grapes
  • Green Salad

Chili

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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It’s got a fair amount of spice, but you can add even more chili powder to up the heat.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
  • 1 lb. Sausage
  • 1 lb. Pork Chops, cubed (optional)
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
  • 1 heaping Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Tbsp. Paprika
  • 2 Tbsp. Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Pepper
  • 2 tsp. Garlic Powder (or fresh garlic)
  • 2 c. Beef Broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 1 can Rotel
  • 2 Bell Peppers
  • 1 can Kidney Beans, drained
  • 1 large can (25 oz.) Hominy, drained

Directions

Cook the meat, then add the onion (and fresh garlic if using). Add the spices (chili powder to garlic powder) and stir. Then add remaining ingredients and heat through.


Strawberry Bacon Salad

This is a nice summery meal, and it makes lots of leftovers. You can use prepackaged candied pecans, but I usually make my own because I can make a lot–and they’re much cheaper. The coating from the candied pecans does tend to dissolve off in the leftovers, though. Haha, that’s if you don’t secretly sneak all the candied pecans before dinner–they’re too tempting! Sometimes the red onion can be a bit much, so we often opt for green onions instead. You can opt to add feta cheese, but we found that the salad didn’t need it, with the salt from the bacon. And this salad is delicious, but it does take a fair amount of time to make.

For the salad in the picture, I just used one package of spinach, 1 pound of strawberries, a package of bacon, 1 bunch of green onions, a rotisserie chicken, and I made my own candied pecans. And I used Kroger Poppy Seed dressing, much cheaper than Brianna’s.

And luckily the poppy seed dressing is gluten free, so this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

Strawberry Bacon Salad

  • Servings: 6-8?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Delicious and summery–try not to eat all the pecans before mealtime. Haha

Ingredients

  • 1-2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Spinach
  • 1-2 lb. Strawberries, sliced
  • 1 pkg. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 small Red Onion, diced OR 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
  • 1 Rotisserie Chicken, broken down into pieces OR 4 Chicken Breasts, cubed and cooked
  • 2 c. Candied Pecans (prepackaged or using recipe below)
  • Brianna’s or Kroger Poppy Seed Dressing

Candied Pecans

  • 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Water
  • 1/4 tsp. Vanilla
  • 2 c. Pecan halves

Directions

Place the spinach in a very large bowl, then place the rest of the ingredients on top, except the dressing. We generally don’t toss the salad because everything falls to the bottom of the bowl. Each person can add dressing as desired.

For candied pecans: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, water and vanilla. In a heavy frying pan on medium-high heat, toast pecans until they smell nutty and brown. Be careful because once they’re toasted, they can start to burn quickly. Pour the liquid over the nuts and mix to coat. Spread nuts on wax paper or Silpat to cool and harden.


Wonton Soup

The best part of wonton soup is the pork balls. Even if the wonton falls off while cooking, it’s still delightful to eat the pork balls. This is a fun soup, but we don’t make it very often because it takes a long time to make the wontons. And be careful that you keep the wontons covered with a damp cloth, so that they don’t crack (both the wonton wrappers in the pile and the finished ones with pork inside). The part of wonton making that takes the longest is shaping them–dipping your finger in water and sealing all the edges.

If you’re making this gluten free, make sure to use tamari or gluten free soy sauce (since soy sauce is usually made with wheat). And you’ll have to make your own wonton wrappers. I actually made mine the other day, and they turned out surprisingly well. They were a little thicker than usual, but I was so pleased. And they didn’t fall apart in broth like so many gluten free pastas do. I’m going to try making egg rolls with these wonton wrappers as well.

Wonton Shapes. We made 1.5 pounds of pork the other day, and I tripled the recipe from glutenfreeclub.com. It still wasn’t enough. But I included the recipe below so you don’t have to find it. I tried two different shapes when I made the gluten free wonton wrappers. It doesn’t matter what shape you use, as long as it tastes good. We traditionally made what I think my mom called “little nuns”, where you roll it in a tube, then bring down the two bottom corners of the tube and join them under her “chin”. But I also tried making one that’s more like a fancy ravioli or something. They were both great–I felt like the ravioli one shaped like an X was a little easier to make with the gluten free wonton wrappers. You just bring all the corners of the square to the middle. 

Make it a meal with:

  • Egg Rolls or Fried Rice
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Fortune Cookies

Wonton Soup

  • Servings: 5?
  • Difficulty: medium-hard
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Delicious pork balls–and don’t forget the green onions for the broth (that makes it good).

Ingredients

  • 1 qt. Chicken Broth
  • 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 lb. Ground Pork
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Ginger
  • 2 Shakes Soy Sauce (or gluten free soy sauce/tamari)
  • Wonton Wrappers (or gluten free wonton wrappers)

Gluten Free Wonton Wrappers (from glutenfreeclub.com)

  • 3 c. Gluten Free Flour (with xanthan gum), plus extra for rolling
  • 3 Eggs
  • 3/4 tsp. Salt
  • About 3/4 c. Water (adding a Tbsp. at a time)

Directions

In a small pot, combine broth, green onions, and salt to taste. Heat until steaming but not boiling. In a medium bowl, mix the pork, 1 tsp. salt, ginger, and soy sauce together. Place a small ball in the middle of a wonton wrapper and fold the wrapper into wonton shape, using water to seal edges (you can dip your finger in a small bowl of water to do this). Keep finished wontons under damp paper towel to prevent drying/cracking. When a large pot of water is barely boiling, place wontons in water and cook until they float and the pork is no longer pink in the middle (generally a few minutes). Don’t let them stay in the water too long or they’ll start to fall apart. Scoop out finished wontons with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, then cover with broth and serve.

For gluten free wonton wrappers: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, eggs, and salt. Add the water 1 Tbsp. at a time until the dough is the consistency of Play Doh. Generously flour your work surface and place a small ball in the middle. Flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough as thin as you can without cracking. Cut off the rough edges so you have a square, then use a pizza cutter or bench scraper to cut into squares about 2″ x 2″. Brush any extra flour from the wontons and place in a pile, then cover with a damp paper towel to prevent cracking. (Refer to glutenfreeclub.com for more pictures if needed.)


Turkey

Before I went off to college, I wanted to make sure I knew how to do everything for Thanksgiving. Of course a turkey is pretty easy–it may seem intimidating, but mostly you just put it in the oven and cook until you reach the appropriate temperature.

If you’re making this gluten free, of course turkey is naturally gluten free–but be sure either not to stuff it, or just stuff it with a gluten free stuffing. Sometimes turkeys can have sauce mixes or weird basting that might have gluten, but most are just fine–just check the ingredients.

Make it a meal with:

Turkey

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: medium
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Just cook until the internal temperature barely reaches 165° to keep it juicy.

Ingredients

  • 18-22 lb. Turkey (for Thanksgiving of course)
  • Small skewer for neck flap (if stuffing)
  • Bread heel (if stuffing)
  • Cooking Spray
  • Large disposable roaster pan (if large turkey)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Onion and garlic powder (optional)
  • Celery and Carrots

Directions

For thawing a giant turkey, take it out of the freezer and put it in your fridge about a week before. When it’s thawed, wash turkey and take out innards. Look on bag to see how many pounds and how long to cook–the manufacturers are the experts. For an 18-20 lb. turkey, it often takes about 4 hours to cook.

Use broiler pan with rack for smaller birds or a large disposable pan for Thanksgiving-sized birds. Put foil in bottom of the broiler pan and spray the rack. OR for the large disposable pan, place the pan on a cookie sheet for added stability, then spray the pan and place celery and carrots under the turkey so it won’t stick.

If stuffing: Stuff the neck first–flip the bird on its breast, then hold the neck flap out while you gently spoon in the stuffing. Skewer the neck flap closed, attaching it to the main body. Then flip it on its back to stuff the large cavity. Optional: You can salt and pepper the large cavity before stuffing (or just before baking without stuffing). Gently spoon stuffing into the large cavity, not compacting it too much. Place a piece of bread in to cover the stuffing before putting the legs back in the holders.

If NOT stuffing or if you’ve already stuffed the turkey: Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray with Pam before putting in oven so it won’t dry out. Then lightly sprinkle skin with salt and pepper–and garlic and onion powder if you’re using them. Pull wingtips behind so they won’t burn–like it looks like the turkey is lounging and putting its wings behind its head while sunbathing. Haha. Place turkey breast-side up, then place the pan in the oven. [For small turkey, pour about 2 c. water in bottom of pan so the drippings won’t burn.] Cook 1 hour at 325° before covering. Place a tent of foil loosely around the turkey, not tucked around the turkey. Fold in the middle so the turkey won’t overbrown.

If not brown enough near the end, take off foil at last half hour. To check doneness, breast should be 165° and thigh should be 185°. After removing from oven, cover turkey with foil to keep heat and let turkey sit 15-30 minutes before carving so juices can sink back into meat.

For more gravy juice, in water, simmer neck and gizzard with carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, 2 bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. Members Mark Chicken Base) for about an hour. Then strain and use juice for gravy (about 1 qt. + water).


Stir Fry

Stir fry is great because you can kind of put in whatever vegetables you have in your fridge. And it makes great leftovers. I generally put in at least carrots and broccoli. And to make things faster, I usually microwave the broccoli, then add it to the rest. Jeff prefers to have stir fry on rice, but you can also make a kind of lo mein and mix it with noodles (like spaghetti).

If you’re making this gluten free, you can either buy gluten free teriyaki sauce or make your own with tamari or gluten free soy sauce (since soy sauce is usually made with wheat).

Make it a meal with:

  • Rice or Noodles
  • Egg Rolls
  • Fortune Cookies

Stir Fry

  • Servings: 5?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Great Asian flavors and great leftovers.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lb. Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1/3 c. Oil
  • 1 heaping tsp. minced Garlic
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 1 big Carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1 bag fresh or frozen Broccoli (or broccoli/cauliflower blend)
  • Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce to taste
    • For gluten free, use gluten free teriyaki sauce or make your own:
    • ⅓ c. Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Tamari
    • 1 c. Water (or for more flavor use 1/2 c. water, 1/2 c. orange juice)
    • 1 tsp. minced Garlic
    • 1/4 tsp. Ginger
    • 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. Water
  • ½ c. Cashews
  • White Rice, prepared; Minute Rice, prepared (2 c. rice, 2 c. water); OR 1 pkg. Spaghetti, prepared

Directions

Heat heavy pan or wok on high, then add oil. When the oil is shimmering, add chicken and cook until golden brown. Then add garlic and onion to cook until softened. For faster cooking, microwave broccoli while doing the rest. Add the carrot and cook until tender, then add in cooked broccoli. Then add sauce to taste, diluting with water if it’s too strong. Mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then add it to the mixture to thicken the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough. If the veggies aren’t soft enough, cover the pan with a lid and steam a few minutes until they’re soft. Just before serving, add cashews. Serve on rice or toss with spaghetti noodles.


Stroganoff

We often make stroganoff when my Dad visits because he enjoys it so much. It’s a good use of ground beef, but you can also use nicer beef like sirloin (just cube and brown it before adding the ingredients for the gravy). We’ve even made this with cubed, leftover prime rib from Christmas Eve if we bought too big of a roast (haha, I know leftover prime rib seems impossible).

If you’re making this gluten free, make sure to use gluten free cream of mushroom soup (the best option is from Walmart) and gluten free noodles.

Make it a meal with:

  • Egg Noodles or Gluten Free Rotini
  • Peas or Broccoli
  • Apple Slices

Stroganoff

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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A great way to use ground beef.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. Ground Beef
  • 1 Onion, minced
  • 1 heaping tsp. minced Garlic
  • 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (or gluten free cream of mushroom soup)
  • About ½ can Milk
  • Paprika
  • 2 c. Sour Cream
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Brown the ground beef, adding onion and garlic to cook until soft. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper. Add soup and milk. Add sour cream at last minute to heat through. Serve on noodles (or rice or potatoes)–FYI, sometimes it makes a lot and you’ll need more than one package of pasta.


Tin Foil Dinner

We used to make these all the time when we’d go camping as kids. I always forget how good these are–maybe it’s the butter that makes them so delicious. You can make these on the camp fire or in the oven. We’ll often make a “camping” family night at home and have tin foil dinners, then roast some marshmallows.

I remember one time when I was about eight, my dad was in charge of Scouts for our church, and they were going to a campout at Bear Lake. My mom, twin brother, and I decided to tag along with Dad and my older brother as they went camping with all the other boys from the church. The first night was a Sunday, and all the boys were supposed to bring their own dinner with them. Most boys did, but two or three forgot. So we had to give up our tin foil dinners to those boys, and mom had to find somewhere for the three of us to get dinner. That was the first time I ever ate a raw onion on a diner burger. It was hot! Haha. But I’ll never forget it. And I think raw onions are fine now. Just a funny memory.

And of course these are naturally gluten free–I even had these when I had to do the FODMAP diet for a few months.

Make it a meal with:

Tin Foil Dinner

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

Fun for camping or at-home camping.

Ingredients

For each person’s pie tin, you’ll need:

  • 1 pie tin or round cake pan
  • 1 Chicken Breast
  • 1 medium Potato, peeled (optional) and sliced
  • Corn
  • Italian Seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp. Butter
  • Baby Carrots (optional)
  • Tin foil

Directions

In a pie tin, place chicken, potatoes, and corn. (You may want to place carrots in the bottom/top if you’re cooking on the fire, in case of burning.) Place 1 Tbsp. of butter on the potatoes and 1 on the corn. Sprinkle all with Italian seasoning. Cover well with foil. In the oven, cook at 375° for 30-45 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken. If cooking on the fire, stack dinners with 6 coals on bottom and on top. Check after 20-30 minutes. Cook until the carrots are tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.

For a sheet pan dinner for a family: Place the carrots on a sprayed sheet pan in a preheated oven while you slice the potatoes. Carrots need to cook longer. Once you’re done slicing, place the potatoes on a layer, season and cover with butter, then place chicken breasts on top and season those. Cover all with foil and bake as directed.


Steaks

Of course the real answer when cooking steaks is to cook them until their internal temperature reaches your target temperature (like 135 for medium rare because the temperature will raise another 5-10 degrees as it sits). We’ve tried marinating steaks, but really when you have good beef, you don’t want the amazing beef flavor being overwhelmed by marinade. Save the marinade for a cheap cut of beef, and just stick with Canadian steak seasoning.

And of course these are naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

Steaks

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy
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Nice and simple.

Ingredients

  • Beef or pork steaks (almost any variety)
  • Canadian steak seasoning

Directions

Preheat the grill on medium high. For diamond pattern, grill 2 minutes, then turn 45 degrees. Then grill 2 more minutes and flip over. Do the same thing on the other side–grill 2 minutes, then turn 45 degrees and grill 2 more minutes. The target temperature for medium rare for beef is 135, and pork should reach 145. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.


Sandwiches

Haha, you’re probably thinking, “Uh, a recipe for sandwiches? Those are like the easiest thing in the world to make. Why on earth would you need a recipe?” Haha. They’re definitely easy, and you’ll notice these don’t have any measurements–this is mostly for meal planning purposes. If I’m going to head out grocery shopping, I love to look at recipes to see what ingredients I need before shopping.

If you’re making these gluten free, of course make sure to use gluten free bread. You’ll probably want to warm up the bread or toast it because room temperature gluten free bread is rather like eating a dry kitchen sponge. Haha. And of course be sure to use a new container of mayo or one dedicated to be gluten free, so you don’t end up with bread crumbs from previous sandwiches. Of course you can use au jus instead of beef broth for the French dip, but most au jus has wheat in it–so stick to beef broth if you want it gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

  • Chips
  • Grapes
  • Baby Carrots

Sandwiches

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print


This is just a quick reference, without very specific measurements.

Ingredients

Egg Salad Sandwiches

  • Mayo (dedicated gluten free), Hard-Boiled Eggs, Salt, Pepper

Tuna Sandwiches

  • Mayo (dedicated gluten free), Tuna, Sweet Relish (be careful it hasn’t been contaminated with gluten)

For toasted tuna, heat skillet and brush surface with butter right before placing sandwich in spot.

French Dip Sandwiches

  • 2 lbs. thinly sliced Roast Beef
  • ½ lb. sliced Mozzarella
  • 6-8 square Ciabatta Rolls or high quality sliced bread (or gluten free bread)
  • 32 oz. box Beef Broth

Directions

For French dip, heat broth, then add beef. Place cheese on each half of bread and place under broiler to melt. Serve with bowl of broth as au jus.


Scrambled Pancakes

I suppose this is a lot like German Pancakes or something similar, but we always called them scrambled pancakes. Maybe because they’re made in a skillet like scrambled eggs or something. They’re more dense than fluffy pancakes, but they’re still delicious. I remember my dad always ate these with Worcestershire sauce for some reason, but everyone else ate scrambled pancakes with syrup.

If you’re making these gluten free, just switch out cup for cup flour for the regular. It turns out amazing! The picture for the recipe was made gluten free. Remember, when measuring gluten free flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. FYI, I only used 5 eggs the last time I made scrambled pancakes because it looked the right consistency–and it was wonderful.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sausage or Bacon
  • Berries
  • Juice

Scrambled Pancakes

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
  • Print

A great breakfast, if you’re looking for a departure from regular pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 6 Eggs (or 5 if making gluten free)
  • 1 ½ c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • 1 ½ c. Milk
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar (heaping)
  • 1 tsp. Salt (heaping)
  • 1/4 c. Butter

Directions

Whisk together eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and salt (can be lumpy). Melt butter in electric skillet heated to 350° (or heat a large, deep frying pan on medium-high heat if you want thicker pancakes). Then pour in batter. When the batter is getting more solid around the edges and slightly brown on the bottom, they’re ready to flip (this can be a little messy sometimes). Cut pancakes in 4 with spatula before flipping. Cook until golden brown.