Squash with cranberry stuffing

Ingredients

• 2 medium acorn squash*
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter flavored Spectrum brand shortening
• 1 medium tart apple, peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup Pacific brand jellied cranberry sauce

Directions

• Cut squash in half; discard seeds. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of squash halves so they sit flat. Spritz with oil and place squash hollow side down on a cookie sheet. Cover and bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter flavored shortening until tender. Add the apple, salt, lemon juice and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cranberry sauce.   Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.
• Turn squash halves over; fill with cranberry mixture. Cover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until squash is tender. Yield: 4 servings.
  
  Ugh.  I'm not good with formatting.  Ok, the original recipe called for acorn squash.  I had one, but it wanted two.  I also had a large squash of mysterious kind (it may have been a blue hubbard squash).  I had never seen such a squash, and had no idea what it would be like, but it was of approximately the right shape for the dish, and the right amount of food--it would surely be ok, right?  lol!  Fortunately, it worked perfectly, so I'm going to be brazen and say that I think just about any squash would work in this dish.  Two acorn squash, one hubbard squash, a butternut squash...whatever floats your boat!  Ok, maaaybe not spaghetti squash.... It was pretty simple to make, and so delicious--the tart cranberry offset the rich squashy flavor so nicely!

Fish Chowder

So our basement dehumidifier shorted the outlet that our freezers were plugged into, and we had to emergency eat a whole bunch of food.  Fun.  So we had a bunch of fried fish, but there's only so much fried anything you can eat, right?  I thought maybe some fish chowder sounded good.  Found a recipe with only one thing I *had* to sub, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Here's my version, which the hubby and I thought was pretty darned good.  Finally, toward the end of his bowl, the chitlin conceded that he thought it was pretty good, too, though he's been known to speak less than truthfully about my food, cause he thinks I'm delicate or something.  =P

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 lb fish fillet 
  2 tablespoons oil1 medium onion, sliced1/2 cup celery, diced
  2 cups raw potatoes, diced
  1/2 cup carrot, sliced
  2 cups vegetable broth1 teaspoon salt2 teaspoons old bay or seasoned salt1 cup milk (dairy or non)

Directions:

1. 
   
   Cut fish into bite sized pieces.  Melt margarine in large saucepan and cook onion and celery until onion is tender and translucent. Add potatoes, carrots, broth, salt and old bay.  Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add fish and cook 10 minutes longer. Add milk.  Reheat, but do not boil.  Serve hot, with freshly baked home made bread or rolls and butter if you like.
   
    
   
   The original recipe called for water instead of broth and pepper instead of old bay, but I thought that sounded boring (YAWN), and didn't regret the changes.  Just be aware that if you use broth, it will NOT be that beautiful, snowy white you might expect from chowder.  If you use non-dairy milk, it probably won't be anyway.  We used rice milk, so it was also not terribly creamy or thick.  I might try coconut milk one of these days, but that might require some curry powder, too...
   I didn't specify what kind of fish to use, because I'm doubtful it matters a lot.  If you like the fish taste a lot, use a stronger tasting fish.  If you don't, use cod or tilapia and it doesn't taste very fishy at all.  The original recipe called for cod, but tilapia is what I had on hand.  Also, it called for a whole pound, but I only had half a pound.  We thought it was actually just the right amount of fish, but if you LOVE your fish, go for the whole pound!  =)
   
   
   

Apple butter

Ingredients

    5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
    4 cups white sugar
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

 Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.   Cover and cook on high 1 hour.   Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. Puree with a stick blender.   Continue cooking uncovered on low at least 1 hour--probably 2. Let cool in crock pot to room temperature.  Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.  Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.




GK's notes:  I was very unsure of this recipe--it smelled so strongly of cloves the whole time it was cooking, I was sure it was ruined.  Nope!  It turned out amazingly delicious.  It was as good as or better than the best apple butter I've ever had.  I even forgot to mix the dry ingredients--I just dumped stuff in as I measured, and it turned out fine.  I don't think that step matters much, because you stir occasionally as it cooks, so it will get all mixed up.  The sugar liquifies, and the apples release juice, so after a couple of hours, it is REALLY liquidy/soupy, but it's ok.  You blend it, and let it steam a while at the end, and it turns out just right.  Nice and thick and delicious.  =)

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

The original recipe for these is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romano.  I make a few changes to make them safe for our food allergy requirements.  I'll post the original method,  and then list my changes.  In general, I have found these recipes to be so forgiving and flexible, I've been able to change pretty much anything I need to to make them safe, and they still turn out delicious!  The vegan community has saved our lives in this regard, especially and particularly Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Her cookbooks and recipes are amazing, and I wish we could eat more of her food--but being nut, soy and gluten-free, a lot of vegan food is off-limits for us.  Fortunately for us, cupcakes are quite safe!

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

1/3 c coconut oil
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 c coconut milk
1/4 c soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 T lightly packed finely grated lime zest
1 c ap flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with liners.

Get all your ingredients/tools out and ready  to go ahead of time, as this makes it easier to work with the coconut oil at the right temperature.

Melt the coconut oil in a medium bowl.  Mix in the sugar, then add coconut milk, soy milk, vanilla, coconut extract, and lime zest.  Combine well.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Add the coconut and mix to incorporate.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Lime buttercream frosting

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c margarine
3 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 tsp finely grated lime zest

Beat the shortening and margarine together until combined well and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.  Add the vanilla and lime juice, beat for another 5-7 minutes or so, until fluffy.  Add the zest and mix to distribute.

Ice the cupcakes generously, and roll in flaked coconut.  Place a decorative lime slice on top.

All right.  Those are the instructions as written.  Seriously, these are so flexible.  I didn't have any coconut extract, or enough shredded coconut, but I had coconut flour, so I subbed some in for the regular flour to increase the coconut flavor, and added it to the cup of shredded coconut to make up a full cup.  *shrug*  It worked!  Also, I have to use gluten-free flour, so our ap flour was Bob's Red Mill ap gluten-free flour.  I can't use soy milk, so I just used 1 1/4 c coconut milk (the full-fat, out of a can kind, not that crappy coconut milk "beverage").  Also, I didn't have any limes, so instead of lime zest, I just used a teaspoon of RealLime lime juice.  Again, it worked.  The cupcakes came out great!

I learned something about baking when I made these.  I had 8 of the cups filled when I noticed I hadn't gotten the bottom stirred in well enough, and there was still quite a bit of dry ingredients unmixed-in down there.  I just went ahead and stirred it in to the last bit, and put that batter in the last 4 cups.  Those cupcakes rose much better than the others.  Turns out you do need to have a minimally-thick batter to make the cupcakes rise appropriately.  I kind of thought this was the case, because if I follow regular recipes as written with my gluten-free flour, the batter is too thin, and the cupcakes come out concave.  I have been boosting the amount of flour in cupcake recipes for a long time, but this was the proof I needed to be certain that that was the difference!

So, the way I normally make these is basically the same, but all coconut milk and 1 1/3 c flour.  I do recommend replacing a small percentage (like 1/4 cup or so) of your flour with coconut flour--it actually makes for a lovely texture, as well as adding to the coconut flavor.  Also, I only use shortening (Spectrum brand) in the frosting, because there aren't any safe margarines for us.  It's just fine--in fact, I think I like it better than with a "butter" flavor.  Also, we usually halve the icing recipe--Isa apparently LOVES frosting.

Tuna Casserole

8oz pasta
1/2 an onion, diced
1 T garlic, diced
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
3 oz butter/sub
5 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1/2 c water
1 cup milk/sub
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese/sub
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
Panko bread crumbs, sautéed in butter until beginning to brown

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a large saucepan and add onions.  Sauté for a few minutes until beginning to soften.  Add garlic, and saute another minute or two.  Add peas.  Sauté for another minute or two.  Add in flour and cook for a further two minutes.  Slowly stir in the broth, then the milk.  Bring up to a boil until thickened, then remove from heat.  Stir in tuna and cheese. Season with salt and Mrs. Dash.

Add pasta to the pot and stir to coat.  Place in buttered casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs and a little additional cheese on top.  Bake for ten to fifteen minutes until top is golden.  Alternately, you can skip the bread crumbs on top and just top with additional cheddar cheese, which I like to do often.

Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

We can't use Minute brand tapioca, because they put soy lecithin in it, and we can't make regular pudding, because we can't do dairy.  Pudding has been a rare treat, and the only non-dairy milk that works besides soy is coconut.  We can't do soy, so coconut it is.  Normally, pudding is too much work for me to find it worth-while, but I was having a bit of a craving, so when I saw Let's Do Organic tapioca granules in the store, I thought "Sure, why not?" and made the recipe on the back for chocolate tapioca pudding.  It took just over 10 minutes--I didn't end up having to cook it quite as long as it said, I think, so it was quick, easy AND tasty.  Not bad for a whim purchase!

3 c coconut milk--full fat stuff out of a can, NOT the "beverage"
1/4 c granulated tapioca
1/8 tsp salt
1 T sugar
1/2 c chocolate chips

In a saucepan, simmer the coconut milk, granules and salt.  Cook 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until tapioca is completely transparent.  While this is cooking, melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Remove tapioca from heat, stir in sugar and chocolate until completely blended.  Refrigerate to room temperature.  Stir pudding well to break up the tapioca before serving.

I used more like 2 T of sugar...and it's just barely sweet enough for me.  This tasted like real pudding...just a hint of coconuttiness, which we're accustomed to, anyway, because we eat the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream.  The box suggests that you can serve it with shredded coconut, which wouldn't be bad, if you like the texture.  It also suggests sliced bananas, which *I* think would ruin it...lol!

Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue Sauce

This isn't an imitation--it's just a really, really tasty homemade barbecue sauce.  I told my mom I needed one, and she just whipped this thing out by pouring random stuff into a pot.  I could not believe my tongue.  I made her go right back in the kitchen and write down what she had done.  She laughed--I think she doesn't take her skills very seriously, but she did it.  I am SO glad she did.
As tasty as hers was, though, of course I can never leave well enough alone.  So I tinkered, and I do like my version better.  =)  This is what I'm calling the finished product, though I would be sad if nobody ever tinkered with it to make it their own.

3/4 c ketchup (we used my homemade recipe--see the new and improved version!)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
2 drops lemon juice (I keep on hand Real Lemon brand bottled lemon juice for just this kind of situation)
1 shake onion powder
2 drops liquid smoke
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp not-so-soy sauce
pinch pepper
1/2 pinch cayenne (laugh with me, now, at my half-pinch)

Mix all together and it's ready to use!  It does improve with time--I made some for bbq beef the other day, and put the leftover sauce in the fridge to top the sandwiches with, and the stuff from the fridge was quite a bit better.  That makes sense, though!

Herbed Cucumber Radish Tea Sandwiches

I'm putting the link to the original here:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/sandwiched-herbed-cucumber-radish-tea-sandwiches.html   because I want you to know what my 8 year old son saw, and wanted.  And I want the world to know that I managed to pull this off allergen free.  Honestly, I was amazed at how these came out, because I didn't think they looked good at all.  This is totally not the kind of thing I would ever make, but my darling boy wanted them, and you don't say no to requests for vegetables!  =D  So, even though it was a bit of work, I made these.  Since I put the link, I'll only post the recipe as I made it.  The recipe as I post it is safe for all ds's and my allergies/intolerances, and is surprisingly delicious!

Ingredients

yield: makes 12 tea sandwiches, active time 30 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups mayo
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dill
• 2/3 cup finely minced green onions
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce sub
• Salt and pepper
• 12 thin slices white sandwich bread
• butter flavored Spectrum brand shortening
• 6 small radishes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1 medium English cucumber (see note above), sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 3/4 cup pea shoots

Procedures

1. In medium bowl, combine mayo, dill, chives, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Spread one side of each slice of bread with shortening. Spread about 1 tablespoon mayo mixture over butter. Top 6 slices with cucumber and radish slices, arranging them in alternating rows.
3. Top vegetables with about 2 tablespoons pea shoots, then cover with the remaining mayo-spread bread slices, pressing down gently. 
   
   GK's notes:  I used our safe bread: DeLand's brown rice and millet loaf.  I didn't trim the crust because gf bread is freaking expensive, and that's just wasteful, plus in gf bread, the crust isn't that different from the rest of the bread.  Also, I couldn't slice it tea-sandwich thin, because it's already sliced.  Didn't matter.
   
   I wasn't sure about the shortening/dressing thing.  Turned out to be a good thing.  You really do want to use the shortening (butter, margarine whatever you use), because it keeps the dressing from making the bread gross and soggy (plus, I really do think it's tasty).  I thought a whole Tablespoon of dressing per bread slice sounded like a lot, and started out with more like a half tablespoon.  It wasn't enough, and you really do need that whole tablespoon.  I was even able to put two leftover sandwiches in the fridge and ate them the next day.  Both the bread and the veggies were in top condition!  The shortening made it safe to keep!
   
   The mayo I use is Veganaise soy-free.  I was shocked to see it is also corn-free.  So few things are, and I'm really grateful, because it's really tasty.
   
   Also, it turns out if you just use the first 6 ingredients, it makes a perfectly delicious salad dressing.  It's not terribly far from ranch dressing, especially using mayo.  I'm going to try it with the So Delicious Coconut Greek style yogurt, which was the recommended sub if you don't have that greek yogurt-cheese stuff the original called for.  But in the meantime, it's great with mayo, too.
   
   I had never even HEARD of pea shoots before.  I LOVE them!  Dh didn't mind them and ds didn't like them.  He said "They spice my tongue!"  I'm not sure why, though.  They are NOT spicy--they taste like peas.  He might have been confusing the source of the spiciness--the radishes could be spicy, I guess, but I didn't think they were.  *shrug*  He's gonna have to get used to them, cause they were yummy!  (It is possible he's allergic, but he eats peas all the dang time with no problem, so I'm doubtful.) 
   

Simple syrup

For recipes that call for corn syrup, you can substitute this recipe.  It isn't exact, because regular corn syrup is vanilla flavored.  If you want that vanilla flavor, you can add some vanilla bean, or maybe stick a whole bean in while you're boiling this, and just remove when the syrup is cool before you bottle this to store or use it.  It's called simple syrup for a reason!

1 part water
1 part sugar

bring to a boil, stir. let cook for a few minutes, remove from heat. cool.

Ketchup

Ingredients:
    1 can tomato sauce - (8 ounce)
    1/2 c. simple syrup
    1/2 c. rice wine or white wine vinegar
    1 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp onion pwdr
    1/4 tsp garlic pwdr
    1/4 tsp paprika
   

Directions:

    Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
 Whisk till smooth. When mix comes to a boil,
reduce heat and simmer for 20 min, stirring often.
    Remove pan from heat and cover till cold. Refrigerate and store
 in a covered container.
    This recipe yields 1 1/2 c.

GK's notes:  This is not perfect.  The recipe I found originally claimed to be a Heinz copycat, but, um, no.  This is not a bad ketchup, but it doesn't taste much like Heinz.  Heinz has a lighter, crisper flavor.  This is dark, rich, complex tasting.  I consider it a work in progress, and would like it to be more Heinz-like.  The potato starch is an attempt to thicken it up, which works nicely, and it gives it a nice texture, but it will occasionally clump, and clog the squirt bottle.  As I said:  work in progress.

Update as of 6/15/12
I have refined the recipe and it is much improved.   I had put starch in it to thicken it up before, but I just removed the water and extra sugar, and simmer it long enough and it doesn't need to be thickened.  I was very proud of my most recent couple of batches.  Still not Heinz, but very good.  =)

Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

    1 cup Mayo
    1/4 cup Dairy-Free "Buttermilk" (see recipe below)
    3/4 tsp. dried Parsley (or 1 tsp. fresh)
    3/4 tsp dried Chives (or 1 tsp. fresh)
    1/2 tsp. dried Dill (or 1 tsp. fresh)
    1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
    1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
    1/8-1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
    1/8 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions

    Combine all ingredients except for the dairy-free buttermilk in a medium bowl.
    Slowly whisk in the "buttermilk."
    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
   
Dairy-Free Buttermilk:
Add 1 and 1/2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice to a liquid measuring cup.
Add enough Dairy-Free Milk to bring the total amount of liquid to
1/4 cup (The original author uses So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk--I use
WestSoy brand Rice milk, which doesn't curdle, so disregard the curdling instructions
below if you use it!). Stir and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, until milk curdles then
it's ready to use!

GK's notes:  I use Veganaise soy-free mayo.  I haven't tried it yet, but I imagine the Beannaise recipe would make a decent, if somewhat less delicious, yet more nutritious Ranch Dressing.  I don't really know how long this would last, but store it in your fridge.  I wouldn't keep it more than 5-7 days, not that it would stand a chance of lasting that long in our house.

Ground Beef Stew with Dumplings

Ground Beef Stew (with optional (ha!) dumplings)

Servings:6    

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef   
1 onion    
1 ½ cups carrots    
2 cups potatoes    
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste    
4 cups beef broth (plus @ 3/4 c water)
>1 teaspoon garlic    
1/2 tsp savory    
1/2 tsp oregano    
1/2 tsp marjoram   
@ 1 T coriander    
@ 1 T Mrs. Dash    
salt/pepper to taste  

Directions:         

1.  Brown beef.   
2.  Add broth, potatoes, onions, carrots, seasonings,  and tomato paste in water.    
3.  Boil until vegetables are fully cooked (which turns out to be just about 20 minutes, which  is perfect for dumplings!). 

Fluffy Dumplings  
Yield:  8  dumplings     

Ingredients:

2 cups bob's red mill gluten-free all-purpose flour    
1 tablespoon baking powder    
1 teaspoon salt   
¼ cup shortening    
1 cup rice milk

Directions:    

1  Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl.   
2  Cut in Shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal or crumbs.    
3  Lightly mix in milk to make a soft dough; Stir as little as possible.    
4  Drop big plops of dough on top of stew. Simmer ten minutes uncovered;    
5  then cover tightly and simmer 10 minutes longer.

GK's notes:  I have to admit, I was a bit dubious about these dumplings.  I got the recipe from Food.com--actually, I got the precursor to this stew recipe from Food.com, and in the comments someone made the suggestion to use this dumpling recipe also from food.com.  She said she made them gluten-free, so I thought well, at least I can try it.  They turned out SO GREAT!  I couldn't believe how light and fluffy they turned out!  I was afraid the gluten-free dough would just fall apart in the broth, but it totally works!  The dumplings really, really made this dish.  The stew was a pretty standard beef stew, which was what I was in the mood for, so it was plenty fine, but the dumplings were just so yummy!

ginger carrots

I have a hard time getting my kid and husband to eat veggies, especially carrots.  Both of them groaned this evening when I told them I was serving carrots.  Both of them were quite wowed--my husband even went back for seconds!  These were tasty!

1 lb bag frozen carrots
1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
shake of pepper
1 T soy sauce (or soy sauce substitute)
1 T oil
2-3 T honey

Cook and drain your carrots to the doneness you prefer.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.  The sauce should taste slightly sweet, slightly salty/buttery and just a touch gingery. 

GK's notes:  I use canola oil, because it's pretty much the only surely safe oil for us.  Use what you like/can use, but I would make sure and use something with a very mild flavor. 

Chorizo with red rice

Ingredients:

1 pound chorizo sausage, bulk or removed from casings, browned and drained
1 tablespoon oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced fine
1 sweet onion, such as Mayan Sweet or Vidalia, diced fine
2 cups enchilada sauce
4 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups white rice, long grain
1 can(small) tomato paste
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped

Preparation:
Remove any casings from chorizo sausage. Brown sausage in non-stick Dutch oven. Drain fat off. In the non-stick Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of  oil. Sauté the pepper, the garlic and the onion, until the onion is transparent, about 10 minutes.

Add enchilada sauce, water, tomato paste, browned and drained chorizo sausage, cumin, salt, and paprika to the Dutch oven and stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add rice. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rice is done.
Serves 8.

 

GK's notes:  We didn't have any peppers tonight, and I'm not sure I missed them at all.  We'll try it with them next time, but I'm betting we'll go back to  not after that.  The enchilada sauce we had was too spicy for my son and me, so my husband used half enchilada sauce,  half Hunt's tomato sauce.  He also used Jasmine rice, instead of plain.  I'm not sure how much of a difference it made, but this was really, really yummy.  We can't have pork, so we used our own homemade, beef chorizo, so it was kind of exciting for us.  Personally, I think it could use even more of the tomato-y sauce, or extra water, maybe.  It was better saucy, but after the rice was finished cooking, it was more paste-like, which was still fine (by which I mean insanely delicious), but maybe more saucy next time.  505 brand enchilada sauce and salsas are vinegar and corn-free.

sloppy joes

    oil for sauteing
    2-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
    1 whole large onion, chopped
    2 whole large red bell pepper, chopped
    8 cloves garlic, minced
    1-1/2 cup 505 brand mild, vinegar-free salsa
    2 T brown sugar
    2 tsp chili powder
    1 tsp dry mustard
    soy sauce, or soy sauce substitute, to taste--about a tablespoon or two
    Salt and pepper to taste
   



Add oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add peppers and onion, and cook for about three minutes.  Add garlic, and cook for about one minute more.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.

Add salsa, brown sugar, chili pepper,  soy sauce and dry mustard. Stir to combine and simmer for a few minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.







GK's notes:  I altered a recipe I found on-line.  It looked good, but seemed to have superfluous steps, and used some ingredients we can't use, so I tightened it up and made the appropriate subs, and got this!  It was DELICIOUS!  I love peppers, onions and garlic, so this is way more than the original called for, and it's so much better for it, I'm sure.  =)  If you aren't crazy for them like we are, feel free to reduce those amounts by about half.  This is just a touch spicy--the salsa is super mild.  If you like it spicier, use hotter salsa, or add tabasco or your pepper of choice.  I strongly recommend the Chipotle tabasco--that smoky flavor improves just about anything!  In fact, I'm disappointed I didn't think of it tonight!  Mmmm...  Next time, we are definitely using medium salsa.

Hamburger Pie

From the red plaid cookbook, with some changes

4 servings of instant mashed potatoes, prepared according to the box + 2 T nutritional yeast and 1 tsp
      garlic salt
1 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (or veg of your choice!)
1/4 c water
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes
1/2 of a 6 oz can tomato paste
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp Mrs. Dash
1/2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 T hearty brown mustard
salt and pepper to taste
additional nutritional yeast
shredded cheese (Daiya for those of us who can't do dairy)

1.  Prepare mashed potatoes.  Set aside.
2.  In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, Mrs. Dash and some salt and pepper till meat is no longer pink and onion is tender.
3.  Add frozen veg to skillet along with 1/4 cup water.  Cover and cook 5-10 minutes--until veggies are tender.  Stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, molasses, italian seasoning,  mustard, additional nutritional yeast (heh!), and any more salt and pepper, if needed.
4.  Transfer mixture to 2 quart casserole.  Drop mashed potatoes in mounds atop hot mixture  and kind of spread around to get a mostly covered, pretty flat top.  If desired, sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or till heated through and golden on top.

GK's notes:  Now, this is how I prepared it, and I'm writing it down to remember what I did.  I want to tinker with it some before I call this a finished recipe.  It was too tomato-y, and a bit tangy, almost vinegar-y, but I think a lot of this is because of the tomato paste.  I will eliminate it next time, and see how that goes.  Also, it was too liquidy.  I think eliminating the 1/4 c water would be a good idea at least, and maybe drain the tomatoes before adding them, though if we're taking out the paste, we might need the tomato juice for flavor.  It might also be good to reduce the mustard to 1/2 T; that might also reduce the tanginess. 

barbecue sauce

I got the original recipe from the internet, but I've altered it, both for flavor and to make it safe for my family.  When I made my husband taste it, he said in a very shocked tone of voice "You MADE this?!?"
I must admit that that was very gratifying.  He's a barbecue snob, so, you know.  *smug*

Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients:


    2 cups water
    3/4 cup simple syrup
    1/2 cup tomato paste
    1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
    3 teaspoons molasses
    3 teaspoons brown sugar
    1 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    1/8 teaspoon paprika
    1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/4 teaspoon turmeric
    1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon water

Directions:

    1  Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat and whisk until smooth.
    2  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until thick, STIRRING OFTEN.
2.5  Combine starch and water, add to pot.  Cook a few more minutes.
    3  Remove from heat and bring to room temp, place in a sterile jar with a lid and let stand overnight in the fridge before using.
    4  Will keep up to 1 month.



Those are the directions from the recipe I found.  I only just made it, so I don't know if it will really keep for a whole month.  We shall see, right?  Oh, and I didn't stir the whole