Tag: Naturally Gluten Free

Pork Ribs

Man, pork ribs are amazing when they’re so tender that they fall off the bone. This recipe is very simple but very delicious–haha, and not very specific in terms of measurements. Of course these can be a little greasy, so you may want to serve it with something light.

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free as long as the rub and BBQ sauce don’t have gluten (which most don’t have gluten anyway). Also, you may want to use a dedicated gluten free brush when you’re brushing on the sauce, since gluten can be trapped in the bristles.

Make it a meal with:

Pork Ribs

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
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Amazing, especially when tender.

Ingredients

  • Pork Back Ribs
  • Rib Rub (like Famous Dave’s)
  • BBQ Sauce

Directions

Using a knife or spoon, pull the silver skin off the ribs. Rub a small amount of rib rub all over (not too much or it will be overwhelming), then wrap the ribs in foil and cook at 275° for 4 hours or until tender. Then remove at least the top layer of foil (carefully–there may be lots of hot juice), brush on BBQ sauce, and broil or grill for a few minutes until the sauce caramelizes.


Easy Chicken Parmesan

This comes from a recipe book that Jeff’s Mom put together, so I like to think of it as Grandma Marilyn Mitchell’s recipe–except I may have added a little more parmesan cheese. I love it so much. It’s easy, we basically always have the ingredients, it’s delicious, and it’s healthier than breaded chicken parmesan. In fact, I even prefer the flavor to breaded chicken parmesan. Also, this calls for parmesan cheese–don’t bother with the fancy shredded kind. The regular powdered Kraft kind works great.

Depending how thick the chicken is, if it’s still slightly frozen when you put it in the oven, or if you have lots of chicken in the pan, it generally takes 40-55 minutes. So of course check for doneness by checking for an internal temperature of 165°.

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free. I’ve also made it with dairy-free cheese instead of mozzarella on top, and it’s still delicious.

Make it a meal with:

  • Pasta
  • Corn or Green Beans
  • Garlic Bread

Easy Chicken Parmesan

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Great for weeknight meals or special occasions.

Ingredients

  • 1 jar Pasta Sauce
  • 1/2 c. + Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half to make 6 (about 1 1/2 lb.)
  • 1 1/2. c. Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

Pour sauce into a greased 9×13″ pan. Stir in 6 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Add the chicken to the sauce and turn over to coat both sides. Top with mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 40-55 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165° and the cheese is melted and slightly brown. Serve over pasta.


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.


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).


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
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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.


Spaghetti Sauce

I love this sauce, and it has a special place in my heart. I feel that this sauce was a springboard to my love of cooking and learning how to taste and adjust flavors while cooking. When I was 14 and Mom would let me try to make the sauce on my own, I felt so grown up. My mom was patient and helped me learn how to taste and adjust, adding more sugar if the sauce was acidic or more basil if it needed more seasoning. She perfected this spaghetti sauce. It’s a little sweet, and it’s got so much more flavor than most pasta sauces. Even Olive Garden is disappointing after we’ve had such a nice sauce. Of course like most recipes that use dried spices, the flavor gets stronger as it sits.

We use this spaghetti sauce for so many Italian dishes, like your standard spaghetti, lasagna, and manicotti. We just leave out the Italian sausage pieces for the lasagna and manicotti. Growing up, Mom would always use a jar of homemade, home-jarred pureed tomatoes and add some tomato paste to thicken it. But nowadays we usually make it with a jar of commercial pasta sauce and add extra stuff, but you can make it using a jar of unflavored tomato sauce also. So you might as well get the cheap sauce if you’re going to be doctoring it up anyway.

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free, as long as you choose a gluten free sauce (which  most are).

Make it a meal with:

  • Almost any pasta
  • Garlic Bread
  • Green Salad
  • Grapes
  • Corn

Spaghetti Sauce

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Flavorful and great to use in several Italian dishes.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. extra lean Hamburger
  • 1 Onion, minced
  • 2 heaping tsp. Minced Garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tsp. Sweet Basil Leaf
  • 1 qt. homemade Tomato Sauce, 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes, or jar of pasta sauce
  • 1 (6 oz.) can Tomato Paste (optional, to make thicker)
  • 2-2 ½ tsp. Salt (to taste)
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 1-2 pkg. Mild Italian Sausage (optional), sliced

Directions

Brown hamburger and add onion and garlic to cook. Add a little salt and pepper, then mix in Italian seasoning and basil. Add sauce, tomato paste, salt, and sugar. Check for flavor and adjust seasonings as needed.

For Italian sausage, slice each sausage in about 5 pieces and boil in a separate pot for 5 minutes. Drain and add to sauce.


Salmon (pan seared)

Pan-seared salmon is great if you’d like a little bit of crust on your salmon or if you’re trying to make it really fast. The baked one goes pretty fast too, but we generally opt for the pan-seared one lately. Just make sure to press out extra water from the salmon so it sears better.

And of course this one is naturally gluten free. Just make sure that your garlic butter hasn’t been contaminated with bread crumbs from previous uses.

Make it a meal with:

Salmon (pan seared)

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy
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Like most seafood recipes, try not to make leftovers with this one–it’s better fresh.

Ingredients

  • Salmon Filets
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic Butter (for gluten free, make sure it’s a new tub or not contaminated with old bread crumbs)
  • Lemon Juice (optional)

Directions

Place paper towels under and on top of filets, then press out extra water. Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy pan on medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the salmon filets. Brown the salmon for 2-3 minutes (even with a crust if desired), then flip the salmon. Place a dollop of garlic butter on each salmon filet and let it melt. Squeeze in a little lemon juice over the fish, and spoon the melted butter and lemon juice over each filet before serving.


Salmon (baked)

I thought about combining the two easy salmon recipes that we use and just calling it “Salmon Two Ways”–But then I thought I should just separate it. We used to make this one all the time in my teenage years and 20s. It’s nice and easy. Baked salmon is good if you’ve got a lot of people to feed, but the pan seared one is faster by a few minutes. Lemon pepper and dill are both great with seafood, and we generally use both. But if you’re not a fan of dill, it’s great with just lemon pepper. I’ve also made it with just salt, pepper, and garlic butter (like in the photo).

And of course this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

Salmon (baked)

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Like basically all seafood recipes, try not to make leftovers with this one–it’s better fresh.

Ingredients

  • Salmon Filets
  • 1 Tbsp. melted Butter per filet
  • Lemon Pepper Seasoning
  • Dill Weed (optional)

Directions

If filets are frozen, place individual packaged filets in cold water to thaw for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Cover a cookie sheet in foil and spray with nonstick spray. Place paper towels under and on top of filets, then press out extra water. Then place filets on the cookie sheet and cover with melted butter. Sprinkle each filet generously with lemon pepper seasoning. Lightly sprinkle each with dill weed. Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes (depending on size of filet).


Pea Soup

Pea soup always makes the house smell so amazing, with the warm aromas of ham, onion, and peas. But we usually only make it once a year or once every few years, with the leftover ham from New Year’s. Haha, mostly it turns into Ham Soup (with some peas) because the ham is what makes it so delicious. It’s best if you can find Hurst’s Ham Peas (like at Walmart) because it comes with an enclosed flavoring packet. I have made it with just straight up split peas because I couldn’t find one with a flavor packet at a different grocery store, but the flavors of course need more tinkering.

Also, I generally wait until the end to add the ham cubes. I’ve had the ham boil with the rest of the soup before, and the ham often kind of shrivels up and loses its flavor. So I prefer to wait to add the ham cubes until the end, just to warm them up in the soup before serving.

And this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

  • French Bread or Rolls
  • Fruit Salad

Pea Soup

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print


Great way to use your leftover ham bone.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. Hurst’s Split Peas
  • 12 c. Water
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped fine
  • 1 Carrot, diced
  • 4 Tbsp. Butter
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Pepper
  • Enclosed packet of Ham Flavoring
  • Leftover Ham with bone (cut ham into cubes)

Directions

Rinse peas. Combine peas, water, onion, carrot, butter. Cover loosely, boil rapidly 30 minutes. Add ham flavoring, salt, pepper, and ham bone. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Then stir ham cubes in soup, to warm up before serving.