Enchilada Meatballs

 This is a really unique, and fun recipe that I got from allrecipes, my favoritest website in the whole world, after lolcats of course. It's meatballs with a Mexican flair, great for parties or just a fun dinner.
 My version, of course, is gluten free and everything is made from scratch. I made the cornbread, and enchilada sauce from scratch. Cornbread is the coolest part of this recipe. The cornbread is the bread crumbs! Genius!
 You can eat this as a snack, appetizer, or dinner- just jazz it up with taco fixings and make meatball tacos in corn tortillas. Those meatball tacos were tasty. This time around I didn't put any cheese in my mixture and the meatballs fell apart really easily. The taste was spot on, but they weren't very pretty.
 So, the first thing you want to do is make the cornbread, adding some taco seasoning in with it. They say a packet, but I make my own taco seasoning, so about two tablespoons worth. This taco seasoning is fabulous. The cornbread recipe I use is here.

Before baking

After baking. And looking great I must say

 Let your cornbread cool. Then make bread crumbs. It's super easy, just look...

yep I used my mixer to make bread crumbs, pure genius

 Cornbread is a more crumbly type of bread so you can just put it in your mixer and let it go to town.
 While the cornbread was baking I made the enchilada sauce. I doubled that recipe for the meatballs. You'll want extra to pour over the meatballs.

this is what it looks like before reducing

 Now that you have your breadcrumbs and enchilada sauce, you can finally make your meatballs! Just combine the enchilada sauce, slightly cooled of course, and breadcrumbs with your mixer. Then add the ground meat, and cheese if you're feeling cheesy. I let my mixer do all the work, maybe that's why my meatballs fell apart, but I'd rather my mixer get yucky than my hands.

Oh yes I did, no yucky hands for me

 Then you want to form the meat mixture into balls. I like to use my ice cream scoop for this. It makes them each the same exact size and it's really fast.

and of course this scoop broke right after this picture. fail

 After you bake the meatballs, you can put them in another pan and pour your extra enchilada sauce on them. Or if you're like me and don't want to dirty another pan, you can put them in your enchilada sauce that's still in the pot, hoping your meatballs won't fall apart stirring them. Good luck and have fun!

another attempt at being artsy

Ingredients

• 2 cups crumbled cornbread
• 20 enchilada sauce, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided (optional-see note)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the cornbread, 10 oz of the enchilada sauce, half of the cheese if using, salt, and taco seasonging. Crumble the beef into the mixture, and blend well. Shape meat into 1 inch balls, and place on a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan, or any cookie sheet with sides to catch the grease.
3. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes in the preheated oven, until the meat is cooked through.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, warm remaining enchilada sauce in a saucepan. Remove the meatballs from the pan using a slotted spoon, and place in a serving dish. Pour the heated sauce over them, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Provide toothpicks for serving.

Red Enchilada Sauce

 I love enchiladas. What I hate? That stupid red enchilada sauce you get from a can. It just tastes bad to me. And of course I have to make sure there's no bad stuff in it like gluten or MSG. In addition, my boyfriend can't tolerate bell peppers, so we have to be on the look out for those as well. You know what? I'm tired of reading all these labels just to be mad at the gross sauce anyway. So, I am going to make my own. This has become a mantra for me.
 This recipe is pretty easy. Just saute garlic, and shallot; add spices; add tomato sauce, salsa, and chicken broth. Then huzzah! A yummy enchilada sauce. It may not be entirely authentic, but it's darn good.

spicey!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 cup salsa, blended smooth in a blender
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the oregano, chili powder, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato sauce.
2. Mix together and then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

The Best Taco Seasoning

 This is the best taco seasoning I've ever had. And it's so much better for you than store bought. It lasts months stored in a covered container, so you can't go wrong. If you don't want to use the cornstarch, you can sub any other starch. Or if you don't need thickening in your dish just omit the starch all together. Sometimes I like to go a little crazy and use marjoram instead of oregano, I find it has a milder taste.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Store in an airtight container.

Gluten Free Corn Bread

 This corn bread is soooo good, and quick to make. It tastes great with chili, or warm out of the oven with some butter spread on it. It also makes great breadcrumbs, as in my enchilada meatballs.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gluten free cornmeal
• 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup plain soy or almond milk
• 2 tablespoons corn oil

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour blend, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, blend egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients. Pour into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and serve warm.

Gluten Free Flour Blend with Starches

 This is my go to gluten free all purpose flour blend. I got it from Land O'Lakes website, of all places right? It's pretty basic, features two different starches, and works well with cakes and muffins, sometimes cookies. I put the mix in a plastic container with a lid and shake it up.

Ingredients

2 cups white rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions

Combine all ingredients in large bowl; stir.
Use mixture in baking recipes. Store mixture in container with tight-fitting lid; stir before using.

Boyfriend's Teriyaki and Ranch Portabella Sandwiches

 This recipe is near and dear to my heart. My boyfriend made it the first time I visited his place. It also was one of those moments in the beginning of a relationship where you realize this one is the one for me, no doubt about it. A man that can cook, and loves mushrooms! I'm in love for the long run. Little did I know that this is one of about three recipes the man can cook without asking me a question. Oh well I guess I'll keep him. He puts up with all my nonsense, so I really have to keep him.
 This is a seemingly random set of ingredients, I like to call it Pittsburgh random. I have no idea how bf came up with this, honestly. I'll have to ask him sometime.
 The sandwich, in my case lettuce wrap, consists of gluten free teriyaki marinated portabella mushrooms, swiss lace cheese, french fries, and homemade ranch dressing. I can only have homemade ranch dressing, as pretty much every commercial ranch has MSG, a major migraine trigger. (My favorite ranch recipe is from Allrecipes. If you click on ranch dressing at the bottom there's a link to the recipe.) The teriyaki and ranch combo sounds strange, but it is fantastic. It's a great contrast with creamy and tangy flavors.
 You'll want to start with marinating the sliced portabellas. My boyfriend likes to get the pre-sliced portabellas, the ones that come with a sauce packet, but we don't use the sauce. You'll want to marinate the portabellas for 6 hours but not more than 24 hours in the gluten free teriyaki sauce.

you can use a resealable plastic bag, I ran out this time of course

 After the portabellas are done marinating, you'll want to get your oven ready for the french fries. Once the fries are in the oven, start cooking the portabellas. Boyfriend is very specific when it comes to cooking the bellas. Grab a slice with tongs and lay it on a hot skillet. You want to saute the bellas individually, flipping them like they're chicken tenders or something. It does help to ensure that the portabellas don't overcook.

He's so cute when he cooks :)

This is what they look like when they are done

 When the portabellas are all cooked and the french fries are done, it is time to assemble the sandwich. Boyfriend insists on putting ranch dressing on both sides of the bread. Since I'm using a lettuce wrap, I just put it on the top. Put a slice of swiss lace down, the portabellas next, french fries after that, and voila! Yummy yummy in your tummy!

your mouth should be watering by now

 

see it IS possible to wrap that lettuce

Boyfriend's Teriyaki and Ranch Portabella Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz bottle gluten free teriyaki sauce
• 3 7oz packages sliced portabella mushrooms
• 1 lb. frozen french fries
• 1/3 cup ranch dressing, or to taste
• 1/2 lb swiss lace cheese, or to taste
• 4 hoagie rolls or 4 iceberg lettuce leaves, whole

Directions

1. Place the portabellas in a gallon size resealable plastic bag. Pour teriyaki sauce over portabellas in bag. Place in refrigerator to marinate 6 hours to overnight.
2. Preheat oven per directions on bag of frozen fries. Bake fries according to bag's directions.
3. While fries are baking, heat skillet on med-hi heat. Place individual slices of portabellas in skillet. Cook 2 to 3 min on each side or just until tender. Remove from pan.
4. To assemble sanwiches, spread 1 to 2 TB ranch, or to taste, on both sides of roll or lettuce wrap. Place one slice of swiss on the bottom. Place approx. 3 to 5 slices of portabellas on top of the swiss. Finish with about 6 to 8 french fries, or to taste. Enjoy!

Zucchini Lasagna

 Let me start this off by saying I am not Italian, nor do I pretend to be. It doesn't take me two minutes to say mozzarella. In addition, I am more of a recipe tweaker than creator. I don't really measure much, I just go by taste. Cooking is about having fun, not rocket science. Just do what tastes good. Now let's get down to business.

 This is one of the best lasagnas I've ever had. No joke. Then again I am not the most picky eater, so maybe my opinion doesn't matter. However, my boyfriend on the other hand is one of the most picky eaters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And guess what? He likes this lasagna. Heck, even my cat went nuts while I was assembling this beauty. I think she channeled Garfield because she was meowing like crazy.

apparently all striped cats love lasagna

 This lasagna doesn't have any noodles whatsoever, and you'd never even miss them. How much more tempting could this be? The "noodles" in this are, you guessed it, zucchini- one of my most favorite veggies. The only downside to this recipe is the fact that there is a lot of liquid after cooking, liquid from the zucchini. This still happened to me even AFTER I salted it to draw out some of that liquid. I don't mind such a thing, but if you do you can probably put some uncooked instant rice on the very bottom of the dish.

 I will go on to say that this recipe is not casein free, blame my migraines. Sounds weird, but true. I couldn't find any dairy free ricotta at the store, and to make my own I'd need tofu. I didn't want to use tofu because I can't have anything that is aged (PS I know mozzarella is aged, but I use it sparingly and not often. Dairy free cheese is crazy expensive). Ricotta is a safe cheese for people that tend to get migraines, but obviously not those trying to be casein free. I have many a conundrum in casein free/ migraine free land. Does anyone else have these issues? I'd love to know that there are people out there that understand my lifelong plight.

 Now that you've heard my life story, let's make some low carb, gluten free, good for you lasagna. You'll want to start by slicing your zucchini very thinly, lengthwise. I'd advise the use of a mandolin. Put the slices in a colander, and sprinkle a dash of salt over the slices. Try to get a little salt on every slice, this will draw out the excess moisture so you doesn't end up with watery lasagna.

 While your zukes are draining, you can make your sauce. I always make my own spaghetti sauce. Just get some tomato sauce and spices, sometimes ground meat, heat it up and you are good to go.

 After that you'll want to get your ricotta mixture together. I squeezed the liquid out of the thawed spinach, and added ricotta and parsley to it. I never add egg to my ricotta for lasagna, and I find that I never miss it.

 Now it's time for the fun part, lasagna assemble!!! I wish if I just yelled that it would assemble itself.  I always put a layer of sauce down first, so the "noodles" don't stick. Next a layer of the zukes, put them on there like you would with pasta. Now I do a layer of the ricotta, a sprinkle of mozzarella, and a layer of sauce. You wanna repeat this until you get to the last layer. I try to end with a layer of zukes, sauce, and finish with a sprinkle of mozzarella, exactly in that order. Cover with foil and bake away.



1st layer

2nd layer

 

3rd and 4th layer

This is what it should end up looking like after layering

 Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes before slicing. Then enjoy immensely!

 

Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• pinch of salt
• 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in black pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir ricotta, parsley, and spinach together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/4 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/4 the zucchini slices, 1/4 the ricotta mixture, then 1/4 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Finish with a layer of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe was based on No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna from allrecipes.com

Spanish Rice

 Have you ever craved a random food from childhood without even knowing it until you ate it? That is exactly how I felt when I took one bite of this Spanish Rice. When I was younger, we didn't have a lot of money so Hamburger Helper was a treat. So was mac and cheese with hot dogs. This was gourmet for me back in the day! Boy have my tastes changed!
 As I started eating this rice I felt another kind of "fullness." It was as if it was some kind of comfort food for me. I did not even realize it until I ate it. It was like Hamburger Helper all over again, but in a good way. Childhood food, particularly my Grandma's, is a comfort food for me.
 Oddly enough, this is a recipe from my boyfriend's family so to me the recipe is barely a year old. They call it Spanish Rice. Not sure where the name comes from, but it's pretty tasty. AND it's a One Pot Wonder. I LOVE those. You only need one pot to cook everything in. It's.... in a word.... Amazing.
 I realize by now that you may be thinking this is some weird dish that's a cross between hamburger helper and hot dogs. SO NOT TRUE. This is a spicy rice dish sauced with tomato juice and ground meat. And trust me it's spicy, if you don't like spice tune the spices and hot sauce down some. I've tweaked the original recipe from my boyfriend a bit, but it's delish. Trust me, some crazy internet blogger chick, you'll love it.

 The first thing you want to do is chop two shallots into a small dice, but not super small. You could also use regular onions, I cannot. That and I just wanted to be fancy.

Oh look how fancy pants we are

 Then you want to get a large pot on the stove, put it on med-hi heat, and put in oil. Once the oil is heated, it looks more "runny," add the shallots and saute.

Once the shallots have gotten a bit steamy, add in an old friend- some minced garlic. You want to continue cooking until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic isn't getting too dark. That's always the trick. Burnt garlic is not cool. Just ask a vampire.

Happy Happy!

 Now you'll want to add your ground protein of choice and chili powder, cayenne, and cumin. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but this time around I'm going with ground turkey. I wanted something different and healthier, sue me.  

raw turkey, not very handsome, so cook it

 Brown the ground turkey and make sure it's cooked all the way through. Nobody likes raw poultry. Not sure who to ask on that one, maybe the CDC? Trust me, ok? Cook all poultry! (that was a dragon voice on that one)

oh yes much better

 Now you'll want to drain the fat. But I used turkey so there's like zero. Oh yeah. After you've drained the meat, pour in the tomato juice. This is pure genius in action and you are a part of it!

cooking rice in tomato juice, who woulda thunk it

 I like to crank that heat up all the way and let it boil. I have a gas stove, so I can be impatient with it. Thank goodness. You'll want to add in the hot sauce at this point. Whenever I use hot sauce I use the wing sauce from Red Hot. It has a great flavor and the spiciness is toned down a bit.

I like to put rice in my little babushka's head

 Once the tomato juice has come to a boil, add the rice. I know this seems like an absurd amount of rice and food in general. The tomato juice I had came in an enormous can. But you can freeze this and reheat with a little more tomato juice. If you wanna scale it down, I just use a small can of tomato sauce and water it down with an equal part water for tomato juice.

this is gonna blow your mind

 When I'm adding the rice I like to keep my burner on. If you have an electric stove I'd suggest turning it off, but you can leave it on the burner. Just stir it up and put a lid on it. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, and then enjoy. Or rather, Be Amazed. At how easy, simple, yummy, and comforting this can be.

please do not eat your screen

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 large shallots, diced
• 2 TBSP oil
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 3 TBSP chili powder
• 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 Tsp cumin
• One 46 oz can of tomato juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot sauce (wing sauce) depending on your spicy tolerance
• 5 cups instant white rice

Directions:

1. Heat large pot on medium-high heat on stove with oil. Add shallot. Saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, saute until shallot is translucent and garlic just browning, about 2 min.
2. Add turkey to the pot with shallots and garlic. Add chili powder, cayenne, and cumin. Cook until turkey is browned. Drain fat.
3. Add tomato juice and hot sauce and bring to boil. Add rice and stir. Turn off heat. Put a lid on the pot and keep covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.