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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sloppy Joes

When DH and I got married, his mom introduced me to a recipe for sloppy joes that used Campbell's chicken gumbo soup, ketchup, and mustard. I thought that was THE oddest combination ever. Then I tried it. Oh my gosh...BEST sloppy joes ever!  Now that I have to eat gluten free I just had to find a way to make them again but without the chicken gumbo soup because these sloppy joes stuffed into a baked potato and topped with sour cream & cheese is one of hubby's most favorite meals ever.

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1 - 1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
black pepper
Mrs. Dash
2-3 tsp. Better Than Bouillon (beef) Paste
1 cup ketchup
1/2 TB yellow mustard
2 cups water

Brown ground beef in deep skillet with onion. Season liberally with black pepper & Mrs. Dash.  When beef is done cooking, add water, bouillon paste, ketchup, and mustard. Stir well to make sure ingredients are thoroughly blended. Make sure the taste is just right. Trust me, you'll know if it is or isn't. It shouldn't taste too much like ketchup or too much like mustard. If it seems to be lacking a bit of flavor, add more Mrs. Dash. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens up. Serve on buns or over baked potatoes.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli Soup

I clipped this recipe from the newspaper nearly 7 years ago. It is my absolute favorite soup to make when it's cold and snowy out (next to chicken & dumplings). :)  Normally I make it in a pan and let it simmer. Today when I made it, I used my crockpot because I had a crazy busy day. If you're using a crockpot, simply add the ground beef and all the other ingredients to the crockpot rather than simmering in a dutch oven. (Don't forget to wait to add the noodles till shortly before serving). Easy peasy and incredibly delicious!

2 cups small shaped pasta (I use Schar gluten free fusili)
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 TB minced or chopped garlic
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrots (regular or baby carrots)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 - 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 - 5.5 oz cans V-8 Juice (I've never seen cans this small, I simply used a 12 oz. can)
3 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (I use Pacific Foods beef broth)
1 TB white or rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain & set aside.  In large dutch oven, brown ground beef until nearly cooked through. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and cook together for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, except pasta, lower heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir in cooked noodles and simmer for about 15 more minutes. If desired sprinkle parmesan cheese over each bowl of soup when serving.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chicken Enchiladas

I'll warn you now, this is a VERY Americanized recipe but oh so delicious! It's easy peasy to put together and quite honestly served over some steamed rice it's a great comfort food. You can find the soup mixes I use at http://www.momsplaceglutenfree.com. No, I don't work for them or have any stake in recommending them, but I have used many of their products and find them to be delicious and a way to enjoy some of my favorite comfort foods. Okay, now on to the recipe. :)

1 package Mom's Place Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix
1 package Mom's Place Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup Mix
1/2 container Philadelphia Cooking Cream Original Flavor approx.
1/2-3/4 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
1-2 cups diced, cooked chicken (I use either leftover chicken or a can of white meat chicken chunks) couple of handfuls of shredded Colby Jack or 3 cheese blend
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Corn Tortillas
More shredded cheese

In a medium saucepan over med-high heat whisk together soup mixes and 2 1/2 cups cold water. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer with corn tortillas, more sauce, tortillas, sauce, until you run out of sauce. Sprinkle some cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees until the casserole is all bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned.