Easy Gluten Free Chorizo Quesadillas Recipe

This is what's for dinner tonight!

I love quesadillas for 2 reasons:  they are always delicious, no matter what you fill them with, and they are so easy to make.  Like a Mexican grilled cheese sandwich.  So when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it.

As I've said before, a lot of authentic Mexican food items are naturally gluten free.  Tortillas, however, can be a bit tricky.  Yes, there are plenty of corn tortillas out there, and you'd think they were safe because they were made with corn.  And yet...

Just because they are made with corn doesn't necessarily mean they aren't also made with wheat flour.  Or made in a factory where they'd be cross-contaminated.  This is where it pays to know which brands are safe, and which are not.  One way to be sure is to purchase the Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide from Triumph Dining.  This book will give you a list of products that you can count on to be safe.  It has been a real blessing to me and my family, and it will be for yours as well!

Also, we live in an area that has a high Latino population.  Because of that, we have tortilla factories within 100 miles of us, and they make the authentic tortillas that are 100% corn flour, water and salt.  All they make are these tortillas, so there's no risk of cross-contamination.  And boy, are they good!  If you can get this kind of tortilla where you live, be thankful, and buy them!

Let's make dinner, and then we can chit chat a bit more...

SPH Gluten Free Chorizo Quesadillas
inspired by a recipe in Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazine
January/February 2011 issue
8 corn tortillas (mine were in the 6-8" range)
1 9-oz. package Sausages by Amylu Chicken Chorizo, diced (which is gluten free)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 cup chicken stock (I use Pacific brand Organic Free Range Chicken Broth)
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use the kind from a jar)
1 tablespoon dried parsley OR fresh cilantro (I used parsley because I don't like cilantro)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed, OR canned sweet corn (I used canned)
Shredded Mexican cheese blend
Lime wedges


Optional Extras:
diced chilies
fresh jalapeno slices
jarred roasted red bell peppers
sliced olives
salsa
sour cream

Put rice, stock, onion, garlic, parsley and salt into a small pot.  Cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to bubble for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat, and let sit for about 5 more minutes.

While rice is cooking, warm a large (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, then drizzle in some olive oil.  Add diced sausage, and brown, stirring occasionally.  Drain on paper towels.  Drain excess oil from skillet and wipe clean.  If you don't have non-stick (and I don't), you may want to have another skillet handy in case the chorizo sticks at all.  My apologies to the dishwasher.

When rice is cooked, stir in sausage, sweet corn, and any extras you may desire.  Warm the skillet over medium heat.  Butter one side of one tortilla.  Set it butter side down in the skillet, just like you'd do for a grilled cheese.  Place 1/4 of the rice mixture on top of the tortilla, and sprinkle with some cheese.  Top with another buttered tortilla (this one has butter side up facing you).  Press with a spatula while it is heating through for a few minutes, then turn.  They really only take a few minutes per side, so keep an eye on them.  Burnt is not delicious.  Repeat with all the remaining tortillas.  Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter, and serve warm with lime wedges (the squeeze of lime really puts these over the top!).  You can also serve with additonal salsa and sour cream if desired.

Ok, so now the chit chat.  The original recipe used much larger flour tortillas, so switching to gluten free corn  tortillas was Tweak #1.  Also, because I used smaller tortillas, the original made way too much rice mixture, with too little sausage for our tastes.  It is much better with the onion, garlic, and salt, which were not in the original, either.  Because we had extra rice, we ate it reheated for lunch the next day, and it is FANTASTIC by itself!  If you don't have chorizo in the house, use some leftover cooked chicken that has been diced.

And as for the corn, you can use some from a bag of frozen, like the original did, or part of a can, like I did.  This is what I had on hand. If you use canned, drain the leftovers, and make corn muffins or corn bread with it.  Add it to a soup or a stew.  Just use it within a few days so it doesn't get spoiled.

Start your weekend off right with some delicious quesadillas, and enjoy!

Pull It from the Pantry Gluten Free Black Bean Soup Recipe

Had a hankerin' for some black bean soup, and stared at the pantry shelf...

So I did the smart thing - I looked on allrecipes.com.  Not one (NOT ONE!) seemed to match what was on my shelf.  And monthly shopping wasn't happening for a few more days.  So I looked really hard at the ones that sounded the most tasty to me.  What do they have in common?  What can I substitute?

This is the result:

SPH Gluten Free Black Bean Soup
2 cans black beans
1 can sweet corn
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen brand)
1 can full of chicken stock (use whatever stock you prefer - I used Pacific brand organic free-range chicken)
olive oil
1/2 pound of carrots, diced (I had half of a 1-pound bag of baby carrots left from making carrot cupcakes)
2-3 stalks celery, diced (if they have leaves, even better)
1 onion, diced
@ 2 T. minced garlic
1 T. chili powder (or to taste)
2 t. cumin (or to taste)
2 t. oregano (or to taste)
1 t. black pepper (or to taste)
salt to taste - and don't taste until just before serving!
shredded cheese and sour cream for toppings, if desired

Start with the base for your soup.  In a large soup pot, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat.  I used enough to just cover the bottom, so I'm guessing it's a few tablespoons.  Add diced onion, and cook until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.  While my onion was cooking, I diced up my carrots and celery.  When onion is done, add spices, carrots and celery to the pan.  This will allow your spices to get all warm and cozy and release maximum flavor in your soup.  Stir for a minute or two, just to warm the spices, then add the garlic.  Stir for another minute or two.  Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pan.  Then, fill that can with stock, swirl it around and dump it into your soup pot.  Cover, and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or til your carrots are tender.  Pour contents of pan and 1 can of black beans into a large blender or food processor.  Puree til fairly smooth.  Pour back into pot, and add remaining can of black beans and can of sweet corn.  Stir well to combine.  Cover and heat again for another 10-15 minutes, or until everything is heated through.  Taste for salt and adjust other seasonings, if needed.  Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream and/or shredded cheese if desired.

The next time I make this, I might try using some browned chorizo.  You know, brown the chorizo in the oil first and allow it to drain while I did everything else.  Then, at the end, adding it back in.  Something to think about the next time I get a taste for black bean soup.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

When it's so cold, it's so nice to eat something spicy!

The original idea for this recipe came from here.  It really needs no introduction, except that it is scrumptious, and insanely easy.

SPH Gluten Free Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers
6 bell peppers, your choice of color, tops sliced off, and white stuff and seeds removed
2 c. long grain white rice
2 c. beans & corn salsa
4 c. chicken stock/broth (I use Pacific Organic brand) or beef broth/stock
1/2 pound chorizo (I used a package of Sausage by Amylu chicken chorizo)
a little olive oil
1/2 c. Mexican cheese, shredded
Extra cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  If necessary, slice of bits of the bottom of peppers to make sure they'll be level in your pan, which is a 9x13, and rinse cavities to remove all seeds.  In a large saucepan, combine rice, salsa and stock (choose chicken or beef based on ingredients in your chorizo).  Bring to a boil over high heat, then drop heat to low and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes, or til rice is tender.  Meanwhile, in another pan, heat oil over medium high heat.  Crumble chorizo into oil, and brown.  Since my chorizo came in links, I snipped them with scissors.  Drain on paper towels.  When rice has cooked, stir chorizo into rice mixture.  Add cheese and stir.  Place bell peppers into baking pan, and spoon rice/cheese mixture into each one.  Add about an inch of water to bottom of pan, and cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, and sprinkle with extra cheese.  Bake for about 5-7 more minutes, or til cheese is melted.  Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.

I love how easy this is, and the bell peppers make it look so elegant and add so much flavor.  If you'd like, you can even eat the rice mixture by itself.  It would be delicious that way, too.

Stay warm, and enjoy!