Crockpot: It's what's for breakfast!

• Meat: 1 lb ham, bacon OR sausage; cooked, degreased and crumbled/diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small bell pepper, diced
• 16 oz. hash browns, frozen
• 3/4 cup cheese, shredded (co-jack or cheddar are Crock Pot Girl's favorites)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• scallions (Optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Grease or use a crock pot liner.

2. Layer ingredients starting with frozen hash browns followed by meat, onions, peppers, and cheese.

3. Repeat layer twice and top with scallions.

4. Beat the eggs, milk, salt & pepper together.

5. Pour over the layered ingredients in the crock pot (ensure everything gets moistened well)

6. Cover. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Happy Crocking!

Paella- on a stovetop!

Stovetop Vegetarian Paella

Serves 4 to 6

Enjoy this simple vegetarian version of classic Spanish paella. We added lima beans and peas for extra flavor and protein. Topping with grilled tempeh would provide an even bigger protein boost. Rice in paella should be al dente, so take care not to add too much water.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked jasmine or basmati rice
1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen lima beans
2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add rice and saffron and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and stir to break up with a large spoon. Add peppers and lima beans and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Check to see if more liquid is needed to prevent sticking. If so, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, then cover and cook another 5 minutes.

Stir in peas and cook until just tender and liquid is absorbed. The rice should not be over-cooked, but just slightly al dente. (If not tender enough, you may add a bit more water and continue cooking.) Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Chicken Pot Pies, for the cooler weather!

Chicken "Pot Pie" with Crunchy Brown Rice Crust

Serves 6

This is a delicious gluten-free and healthy alternative to traditional chicken pot pie. The Parmesan melts into the rice to create a tasty crust :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound sliced button mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped thyme, divided
1 large carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cooked brown rice or brown and wild rice blend
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with oil; set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper and cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth and milk, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine rice, cheese, paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Stir peas into chicken mixture then season with salt and pepper and transfer to prepared dish. Scatter rice mixture evenly over the top then arrange dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until bubbly and crust is crisp, about 30 minutes.

CHEESY JALAPENO CORNBREAD.. it deserves the full caps!

3 cups Bobs Red Mill Flour
1 cup  Bobs Red Mill Cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb (2 Sticks) unsalted butter
12 ounces aged extra sharp cheddar cheese
7 finely chopped jalapenos
5  finely chopped scallions

Combine solid ingredients, in a separate bowl combine wet. Combine 8 ounces shredded cheese, 5 jalapenos and 3 scallions. Incorporate all ingredients in a sheet pan. Let sit for a half hour. Sprinkle extra cheese, jalapenos and scallions to the top before cooking.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes! Rotate pan half way through!

Olivette Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Olivette Garlic Smashed Potatoes

 
2 lbs baby Yukon Gold potatoes
1/3 cup Olivette Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sea salt
Cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°
In large saucepan, cover potatoes with water and add 1 tbsp of sea salt
Bring to a full boil and cook until potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife
Drain the potatoes thoroughly
Rub a sheet pan liberally with Olivette Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Place the potatoes on the sheet pan and gently crush each potato in to a disk using the bottom of heavy glass that has been greased with Olivette Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Sprinkle the smashed potatoes with the remaining sea salt and and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Drizzle liberally with the remaining Olivette Garlic Infused Olive Oil and bake until golden brown and crisp.

I Want To Have A Dinner Party BUT… My Friends Are Gluten-Free

Found this blog and had to share!!

If you're like me, you're wishing you had invested in the largest manufacturer of plastic straws last Wednesday.  I can only imagine how many of those boxes flew off the racks last week because my throngs of devoted, loyal, inspired readers were slurrrrping up more smoothies than two lovestruck pups with a plate of spaghetti.

*Sigh* Young love.  And spaghetti -- the perfect large party quick dish.  EXCEPT, if your party guests are... GLUTEN-FREE...........

Poor Goldilocks.  I wouldn't have put my plastic-straw-market-wins on gluten leading to the demise of a woman trespassing into Grizzly Manor, but you win some, you lose some.

So what exactly is this Gluten-free stuff all about?

Apparently this carb-cutting regimen is a treatment for celiac disease.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the ingestion of gluten induces enteropathy, or inflammation of the gut, in genetically susceptible individuals. This destruction of the gut means that nutrients cannot be absorbed, leading to a variety of clinical symptoms: anemia due to the lack of iron, atherosclerosis due to the lack of calcium, failure to thrive in children, GI stress, chronic fatigue, neurological disorders, nutrient deficiencies, anemia, nausea, skin rashes, depression, and more..  (Scientific American and Food Renegade).

But I must say, that it's hard not to feel like this whole diet is a fad because of it's recent crazy popularity.  It feels like celiac disease is the new deviated septum....  No?  I know.  That was not P.C.  But I'm not deleting it soooooo....... anyway! 

Back to the topic at hand. A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).

In the past few years, researchers have learned that the primary culprit in celiac disease and gluten-intolerance is a particular peptide strand in the gluten molecule, not the gluten itself. It is theorized that this peptide strand wasn’t present in ancestral varieties of wheat. And, we’ve also learned that the long, slow ferments necessary for making traditional sourdough breads also severs the bonds of this particular peptide strand while leaving enough of the remaining gluten proteins in tact to achieve a pleasant rise (without gluten, your whole wheat bread couldn’t rise). (Food Renegade)

In other words:

So... let's just jump ahead to this week's challenggggeee! 

Make a gluten-free recipe!!

I'm going to make a gluten free - dairy free, paw paw bread recipe by a fellow Ithacan, Allison, who specializes in this genre.  I will share the recipe once it comes through!

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Look for the HC Victim guest posts each Wednesday by Lauren O'Rourke where you can enjoy her struggles and triumphs in the kitchen.

Posted 6 hours ago by Lauren

Labels: Gluten HC Victim

Poor Goldilocks!