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!

Gluten Free Bajan Inspired Rice Casserole Recipe

A taste of Barbados today - and it's not what you're probably expecting!

Princess' 4H club recently participated in our county extension's International Night.  For their country, the club chose Barbados.  The kids learned all kinds of interesting facts about their chosen country, and had to prepare a sample of the country's native cuisine.  Well, it turns out that a common dish in Barbados is macaroni and cheese pie.  It is macaroni and cheese made with Bajan (pronounced BAY-jun like Cajun) spices.  One of the club members' moms made a big crockpot to share of this, and I have to tell you, it smelled oooooh. soooooo. gooooood!  She shared the recipe for Bajan Macaroni Pie with everyone, and I decided to play with it, based on gluten issues, and some of the comments I heard from the kids regarding flavor.

SPH Bajan Inspired Rice Casserole Recipe
2 cups rice
2 quarts chicken stock (I use Pacific Naturals Free Range Chicken Broth), divided
olive oil for pan
1 pound ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
1 onion, diced
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (I use the kind from a jar - add more or less to your taste)
2 tablespoons paprika (I used 1 1/2 T. sweet, and 1/2 T. hot)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons dried parsley
couple shakes cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour (I use Glutino brand)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I use 365 Organic brand)
16 ounces grated cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour rice into a medium pan.  Add 1 quart of chicken stock.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While rice is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add ground turkey, season meat lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until nearly all browned.  Add onion and peppers.  Cook until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and spices.  Cook until garlic is fragrant, just a minute or two.  Add flour, and cook for just another minute or two - to take the raw taste off the flour.  Add mustard and remaining quart of chicken stock.  Stir til starting to thicken a bit, then stir in all but one cup of cheese.

Stir meat/cheese mixture into cooked rice, then pour entire batch into a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread evenly, and top with remaining cheese.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or til cheese on top is bubbly and starting to brown.  Serve warm.

You can serve this as a main dish, like I did, or eliminate the turkey and use it as a side.  In Barbados, the pie is served with flying fish.

One of the best parts about this dish as that it is spicy, but not the spicy that burns your mouth.  It really warms you up from the inside out.  It's a perfect quick and filling supper for these cool spring evenings, especially after a chilly afternoon watching a kid play a sport or pulling weeds in the garden.

Have your own International Night, and try something delicious from Barbados!  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe

A quick, simple, healthy, delicious and economical dinner...


Tonight's dinner is inspired by a recipe by Melissa D'Arabian.

SPH Gluten Free Orange-Honey Chicken
olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup honey
salt & pepper

I love the fact that this is basically a 2-pot dish, and it whips up in no time flat!

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan, and add chicken.  Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cover.  Allow to brown, 5-7 minutes.  While chicken is browning, in a saucepan (aka pot #2), melt orange juice concentrate and honey together.  Add salt and pepper - just whatever you think will be proper seasoning.  Allow to cook down for a few minutes while chicken finishes browning on side A.

So now it's time to turn your chicken.  Turn your chicken.  Add about half the orange sauce.  Turn chicken to coat in the orangey yumminess, then place the unbrowned side back down in the pan.  Allow to simmer for a few more minutes, til orange sauce gets more syrupy.  Then, cover, reduce heat, and allow to finish cooking, about 5-7 more minutes.  Keep an eye out - you don't want your sauce to burn.

Your cooking times will depend on how thick your chicken pieces are.  Be sure to cook your chicken THOROUGHLY!

I said that I love the fact that this is a 2-pot dish.  When I make it in our house, it's a full 4-burner!  I serve it with Not Fried Rice and steamed California mix vegies, both of which can be cooking simultaneously.  I usually plate it with rice on the bottom, then a layer of vegies and the chicken on top.  Pour the glaze over all, and serve extra sauce in a bowl with a ladle or a gravy boat.  Some of us like a LOT of the sauce!

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pork Chop Dinner Menu and Recipes

A great menu for a nice, simple Sunday dinner, a frantic Monday, or even special enough for company...

So for dinner tonight, we have pan-seared pork chops, broccoli and rice with a nice pan gravy for you.  Yes, you can make a nice gravy after you go gluten free!  Here's how...

Let's start with the pork chops, or you won't have any meat juices to turn into gravy.

1 pork chop per person
Salt, pepper and paprika (McCormick brand is safe)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drizzle skillet with olive oil.  Add pork chops, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.  Allow to brown for a few minutes, then cover, and cook for about 5 minutes more.  Remove lid, and turn chops.  Cover again, and cook until done.  Remove from pan to a platter, cover with foil, and allow to rest.

While chops are cooking, make the rice.  Our family of four LOVES rice!  So, this is the size batch I make for us.
2 cups rice
4 cups stock/broth (I used Pacific brand Organic Free Range Chicken for this meal)

Put rice and stock in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, and allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

Steam broccoli while rice is cooking.

Also, make your gravy.  To the juices in the meat pan, add a few tablespoons of gluten free all purpose flour (I use Gluten Free Pantry brand) or cornstarch.  Whisk to thicken, then add chicken stock (I used about a cup and a half) to make the gravy.  It's important here to use a whisk because it helps take care of all the clumps.  You may still have lumps in your gravy, but hopefully, they will only be the bits that are left in the bottom of the pan.

This is definitely a nice enough meal to serve unexpected company, without too much effort, and quick enough to feed your hungry hoard between school, soccer practice and piano lessons.  Enjoy!

Princess Makes It Monday - Happy Chinese New Year!

Some homemade not-takeout tonight - and in the crock pot!

If you have recently gotten the news that you need to go gluten free, or if you are just looking for some delicious, simple recipes, you MUST BUY Stephanie O'Dea's two cookbooks - Make It Fast, Cook It Slow and More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.  Everything is cooked in the crock pot, and everything is gluten free.  In fact, when Hubby got the news, I knew we'd be fine because I had been following Stephanie's blog.  I had a stack of recipes just from the blog under my apron strings, and we were ready to rock and roll!

So tonight, in honor of Chinese New Year, Princess is making Broccoli Beef, based on the recipe in Make It Fast, Cook It Slow of page 350.

Broccoli Beef
1/4 c. soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which are GF)

2 T. dry white wine (we used water)
2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 t. sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced (we used a big spoonful from the jar)

1 T. brown sugar (we used raw turbinado)

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (we used a good couple dashed cayenne pepper - use the amount that has your desired heat level)

1 pound beef, cut in thin strips (we used rib steak)

1 16-oz. bag broccoli, defrosted
Hot white rice

If you choose to slice your own beef instead of buying it sliced, cut it while it's partially frozen.  It's way easier to get those really thin slices.  Also, by slicing your own, you can better control the fat of the meat.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for beef.  Stir to coat, then add to crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If your beef is partially frozen, you may want to start it out on high for an hour or 2, then drop the heat.  Steam broccoli, and serve with beef, over rice.

When we do Chinese at home, I make what we call Not Fried Rice.  I picked up this trick from a Rachael Ray recipe.

Not Fried Rice
a few T. olive oil
a few T. butter
1 small onion, diced fine
2 c. white rice
4 c. chicken or beef broth/stock (choose based on what you are serving it with - we are using beef tonight)

Drizzle olive oil into a medium size pan, then add butter.  When butter has melted, add onion and cook til translucent.  Add rice.  Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes, to get rice really coated with the flavorful oil.  Add broth/stock, cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 more minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.  This rice, by the way, is phenomenal in soups, because it brings its own flavor to the table - no more bland white little floaties.

Enjoy your dinner, and as we welcome the Year of the Dragon, may fortunes find their way to you.  Take good care of yourself in the year ahead.  Wishing you successes, longevity and health!  

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!