Mexican Lasagna

I think this should be called Taco Lasagna b/c of the toppings you put on after it's cooked. I left out the olives because I don't like them.

I realize now that it's better to put the lettuce topping on right before you eat it, otherwise it gets wilted. And, if you want to heat it up later, wilted, warm lettuce is just not okay. Sorry about that! I hope you liked it anyhow!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes, diced, undrained
10 corn tortillas
2 cups ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese, drained
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese with chile peppers
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
4 green onions, chopped (including green)
1 small can (4 oz) sliced olives, drained

Brown ground beef; drain well. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and canned diced tomatoes; cook until thoroughly heated. Cover bottom and sides of a 13X9 in. baking dish with the corn tortillas. Pour beef mixture over tortillas; place a layer of tortillas over meat mixture and set aside. Combine ricotta cheese with Monterrey Jack cheese and egg; pour over tortillas. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Remove from oven; garnish the top with Cheddar cheese, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, green onions, and olives.

Hushpuppies!

I haven't posted any gluten free recipes in a while because, well, honestly, my cooking recently has been pretty uncreative and really un-blog worthy.  Last week I made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, Braised short ribs and  creamy polenta (except I used feta in the place of goat cheese...)that was pretty good, although the cuts of meat I used (I went cheap instead of short ribs like she called for) were so fatty that I actually didn't eat any of the meal.  Well, I took a couple of bites a couple of times but felt pretty sick afterward (sorry fellow dinner sharers, I'm really not TRYING to give everyone coronary diseases, it is just that when I look through cookbooks the ones with cheese and bacon always look the best to me! : ) 

Anyhow, this week we are going lighter, and vegetarian.  I am turning a new leaf, and going to use WAY fewer animal fats.  I know they are the healthiest kind to use, but I just feel heavy.  Sooo back to this week;

Black Bean Soup:

2 red onions, halved

2 Tbsp EVOO

4 cloves of garlic ( I used about 10, I love garlic!)

1 Tbsp flour (I used Pamela's GF baking mix)

1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and soaked (next time I'll let the sprout to add some greater health benefits)

3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

I chopped up all of the veggies and sauteed them in the oil, then sprinkled them with the flour and cooked until they slightly browned.  Add the cooked veggies, beans, pepper flakes and 8 cups of water into a slow cooker, cover and cook on low 6 hours.  Using an emersion blender, partially blend up some of the beans.  (notes:  this recipie also calls for one turkey drumstick to be cooked with the beans and later shredded, but again I was going vegetarian.  I also added some salt and cumin into the cooking beans because I like them.)

Top soup with diced onion and peppers, cilantro, cheese and or sour cream and enjoy!

and la la la!  Hushpuppies!  Man I love hushpuppies, and these are baked and not fried!

2/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup flour ( I used Pamela's GF baking mix)

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup milk

2 large eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp butter, melted 

 (Ok, I ran out of cornmeal because I was doubling this recipe, so I used 1/3 cup GF breadcrumbs (which is corn... I was also out of milk so I used a little bit of dry milk and the rest was just water, oh and I only used 2 eggs instead of 4 since I am really bad at doubling recipes, but they turned out just slightly crumblier, but still awesome!)

Preheat overn to 450, spray or butter mini muffin tins

combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder salt and pepper

in seperate bowl combine onion, milk, eggs and butter

Fold egg mixture into flour mixture, and drop into mini muffin tins.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Yum!

Cinnamon Rice Meatballs

These meatballs were a hit with the kids! It's definitely one worth repeating. I used ground turkey for these, and it turned out great! I served the meatballs with brown rice and steamed broccoli. Yum!

This recipe is from the book: "Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults" by Connie Sarros

1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried mint flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a med. bowl, mix 1/2 cup water, plus all ingredients except cinnamon and tomato sauce.
3. Shape mixture into balls.
4. Spray 8X12 baking pan w/ non-stick spray. Place meatballs in pan.
5. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, 1/4 cup water, and the tomato sauce. Spoon this sauce over the meatballs.
6. Cover the baking pan with foil. Bake 45 min. Uncover, bake 15 min. longer.

Turkey-Sweet Potato Enchiladas

I got this from Gluten Free Goddess:

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-sweet-potato-enchiladas.html

But instead of salsa I used green enchilada sauce; instead of leftover turkey, I used ground turkey; and I used a lot less cheese than called for.