QUINOA PUDDING

Alexis spent the night at her good friend Alicia's house this weekend after selling Girl Scout cookies for 2 hours in the freezing cold so I had nothing on hand in the car to send with her to eat.  Alicia's wonderful mom, Dawn, decided to try some gluten free cooking for Alexis so that I wouldn't have to bring her any food.  She made this pudding recipe which apparently Alexis and her friend Alicia liked.  It's healthy and yummy so even gluten eating kiddos can eat it! 

Quinoa Pudding
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa
2 cups milk (you can use regular, low-fat or soy)
2 ripe bananas
2 T. sugar
Salt, to taste
1/2 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla


Rinse the quinoa well; put in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 min.
Combine the milk, bananas, sugar and pinch of salt (or to taste) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into the pan with the quinoa and place over med. heat. Cook and stir until thick and creamy, about 5 to 10 min. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla and serve, warm.


Note: You can sprinkle the top of the pudding with a bit of grated nutmeg, or cinnamon, or brown sugar, if desired.




I haven't made this yet at home but wanted Alexis wanted me to share it anyways because it was good!    Thanks again to Dawn for making Alexis' stay at her house so wonderful!

Katz Assorted Gluten Free Sample Pack, Gluten Free Bread Sample

Katz Assorted Gluten Free Sample Pack, Gluten Free Bread Sample

Check out this website for a sample pack of their gluten free stuff! All you have to do is pay the shipping costs! I am ordering one for Alexis this week.

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

 Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

  Prep Time: 10 minutes   

  Cook Time: 8 hours

  Ready in: 8 hours 10 minutes

  Servings: 10

Ingredients: 

   1 (5 pound) pork roast  (butt, shoulder, loin)

   14 ounces beef broth  (or 1 can)

   1/4 cup brewed decaf coffee

    splash of liquid smoke

    salt and pepper to taste

    Gluten Free BBQ Sauce  (I used Organic Valley brand)

   1 package Gluten Free Buns (I used Schar Classic White Rolls)

Directions:

  1. Cut roast in 3 sections.  Rub each section with salt and pepper.  Place in the slow cooker.  Pour broth, coffee, and liquid smoke over the meat.

  2. Turn the slow cooker to low and cover.  Cook for 8 hours, or until the rost is fork tender.

  3. Carefully remove the roast to a glass baking dish.  Pull the meat apart with 2 forks.  Add BBQ sauce to the meat.  Spoon meat unto Rolls.  ENJOY!

This was so yummy!  I've made pulled pork before but adding the liquid smoke made ALL the difference!  My hubby doesn't like BBQ sauce so he took some meat before I added the sauce and made his own sandwich with melted cheese on it.  The meat alone was so delicious!  This will defintely be one reciepe that we will eat again!  And it's so easy to make it Gluten Free! 

 

Well...the meat and the ingredients are in the crock pot slowly cooking away!  I won't post the receipe until tonight after we know how it turned out!  So until then....

Whew...it's been awhile since I've posted.  We've been so busy that we've had a lot of easy quick meals like spaghetti, baked potatoes, and other things that everyone else already knows about.  But I joined a new website tonight that is packed with reciepes that I can change and alter to make them gluten free or just to satisfy our tastebuds.  Tomorrow nights dinner is a yummy popular receipe that I am going to turn into a gluten free version.   Stay tuned for tomorrow nights Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork....

Shopping Day!!!

Today was a fun filled day of gluten free/dairy free (and a few treats for Jason and I) shopping at Trader Joe's and Great Harvest Bread Company.  One thing I have to say...I love that my family's favorite "treats" come from Trader Joe's.  When I got home tonight my husband had already noticed that I went shopping earlier in the day and went through all the cupboards, the fridge, and the freezer to see what I bought.  I got informed that when he found the Orange Chicken in the freezer and the peanut butter filled pretzels in the snack cupboard that it "made his whole day"!  How can you not love that?  And of course, my son was so excited over the Cuties (dairy free ice cream sandwiches) he discovered in the freezer.  And Alexis....she loves it the most when I visit Trader Joe's because I always come home with her nuts.  She loves almonds, walnuts, and cashews!  I mix them together in a sandwich baggy for her to snack on and she is completely content!  Plus I went and got a few loaves of her FAVORITE bread!  Great Harvest Bread Co. in University Place makes a delicious gluten free Brown Rice/Buckwheat bread.  It's probably the best gluten free bread I have ever tried!  She can't wait for tomorrow night's dinner because I promised I would make BLT's for dinner using her bread.   She cracks me up!  Tonight at dance she was so excited over her dinner I packed for her.  Her friend was giving her some very odd looks as Alexis was nearly giddy over her dinner.   Little shouts of mmmm...a sandwich, yummy carrots and sugar snap peas, ooohhh oranges,  and string cheese too? Then she found her baggy of nuts.....

Happy family = Happy Mom!

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

I have only one word for these pork chops....YUMMY!!!!!!!!   Alexis and I cooked up the sauce when she got home from school and then marinated the chops in them for a couple hours until Daddy could get home to grill them on the BBQ for us.   We had garlic mashed potatoes (since I haven't learned to make gluten free stuffing yet) and corn, and sliced peaches with our chops.  

Ingredients:
  1/3 cup apple juice
  1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil
  2 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce (we use San-J Organic Tamari)
  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  salt and pepper to taste (just a pinch of each is all you really need)
  1/3 cup water
  1 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Pre-heat your Barbeque

In a small saucepan, combine apple juice, brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, ground ginger, and salt and pepper.   Bring to a boil

In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch and then whisk into the mixture in the saucepan.  Stir until it thickens.

Brush grate of BBQ lightly with olive oil before placing the porkchops on the girl.  Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning once.  Brush with sauce just before removing the porkchops from the grill.  Add a little of the remaining sauce on top once served.

Quick Dinner

Last night was just one of THOSE nights!  You all know what I mean!  Where dinner just isn't going to be made from scratch!  It's going to be processed and unhealthy because you just don't have the time or energy to make anything.  But I found this at Fred Meyer in the health/nautral food freezer section.  It was delicious!  I try to stock the freezer with a few frozen meals so when she goes to a friends house and needs to bring foods, we have easy stuff to send with her.  I am going to research online what other products this company makes to see if I can get Fred Meyer to stock them.  And it wasn't on the high end of expenses as far as gluten free foods go.  Usually gluten free means expensive.  This was around $5 for the meal which filled her up.  Much cheaper than the $7 frozen macaroni and cheese I found!