Cabbage Roll Casserole

In the past few days the temperature outside when from the high eighties to the sixties. It is slowly turning into fall, which puts me in the mood for comfort food. I was mentally running through my list of favorite comfort foods, when I thought of cabbage rolls. As soon as that thought crossed my mind I developed a craving, but I didn't want to go to all the work of making them. So I decided to make a cabbage roll casserole for dinner.

I am all about taking shortcuts to save time, especially on days where I don't have too much time to prepare dinner. This meal is a perfect shortcut, it has the same flavors, with half the effort. It is the perfect dish to help me come to terms with the end of summer.

1 pack ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown rice (instant)
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat combine onions, garlic, and ground turkey, stirring occasionally until halfway cooked. Add brown rice, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until meat is browned. Add diced tomatoes, and vinegar, stirring until tomatoes are warmed. Drain excess liquid.

Add meat combination to a casserole dish. Evenly top with 1/2 can of tomato sauce. Add cabbage, and again top with tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper, and top with shredded mozzarella.

Put pan in oven and bake for 30 min, until cheese is melted, and casserole is warmed through.

Roasted Chickpeas with Black Pepper and Garlic

Ever since going gluten-free my food costs have almost doubled. So many gluten-free foods are seriously overpriced. I went to buy a bag of pretzels the other day, and it was almost eight dollars for one bag. I am always trying to find ways to keep my bills down, so when I heard about roasting chickpeas for a snack food, I was all for making them. The recipe that I found said to season them with paprika, and cayenne pepper, but one of my favorite flavor combinations is black pepper and garlic. I use it on everything from chicken, to popcorn.

These roasted chickpeas are a wonderful snack. They are crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I made two cans worth, and they were gone by the end of the day. These are probably going to become a staple in my house!

2 15 oz cans of chickpeas.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coarse black pepper

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder. 

salt to taste

preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Blot dry. 

In a large bowl combine oil, pepper, garlic and salt. add chickpeas, and toss to coat. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add chickpeas, making sure they are in a single layer. Bake for 15 min, remove, and shake tray to toss. Return to oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve!

Moscato Raspberry Lemonade

When I was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease it changed my life. (Obviously). One of the main things it changed was my drinking habits. I was strictly a beer and whiskey girl, which are both things I had to give up  as I became gluten-free. It has opened me up to new drink ideas, and I experiment more with new drink combinations.

A friend of mine was at a shower a few months ago and they were serving raspberry lemonade moscato. I was intrigued, and I decided to make my own at home.

1/4 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen. I make this drink frequently, so I keep a bag of raspberries in my freezer).
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Raspberry lemonade
Moscato

Use ice if you want, but since I use frozen raspberries I don't find ice necessary.

Squeeze lemon into glass. Put rind in glass  (optional). Add raspberries. Pour moscato into glass until 1/2 full. Fill to top with raspberry lemonade.

Polenta Topped with Goat Cheese and a Mushroom Cream Sauce

A restaurant by where I used to live served this dish. It was quaint little wine bar, with an awesome patio. It was ideal to go there in the summer, and order a bottle of wine, and polenta with mushrooms and goat cheese. The dish is a great blend of creamy and earthy, sweet from the polenta, and tangy from the goat cheese.

I cannot eat this dish any more, because it has flour in it. I decided to try to recreate it at home, so that I don't have to miss out yet another one of my favorite things.

I used white mushrooms, since the grocery store was sold out of portobello, but I would suggest using portobello if you can get them. The Greek yogurt caused the sauce to separate, but I wanted to save some calories by not using heavy cream. It still tasted great, it just didn't look as pretty.

It turned out to be really close to the dish I was trying to recreate, which makes me very happy!

1 pack of polenta cut into 1 inch slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pack sliced portobello mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 pack goat cheese, cut into crumbles
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, melt butter, and add mushrooms, stirring occasionally until tender. add onions and garlic, again cooking until tender. reduce heat to low, and add broth, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. add polenta slices, and lightly fry, flipping, until both sides are golden.

remove from pan, blot off oil, and spoon on mushroom sauce, and top with goat cheese crumbles.

Turkey, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Flatbread

I used to make this dish all the time. It was so easy to go to the store, buy some flatbreads, slap on some toppings, and bake. Then I stopped making it, because it is not so easy to find gluten-free flatbreads. So, after a few weeks of craving them, I decided to just make my own flat breads! They are kind of like a biscuit, and not quite as soft and chewy as a real flat bread, but they taste good, and satisfied the craving!

1 1/3 cup gluten-free bisquick
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
Choice of spices (I used 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp cracked black pepper)

2 tbsp Italian dressing (I used sun dried tomato)
Deli style turkey (Always check that it's gluten-free)
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine Bisquick, water, oil, eggs and spices, stirring until well blended.

Grease a cookie sheet, or pizza pan. Use dough to make to approx. 6 inch flat breads. Put in oven and bake for 10-12 min, until dough browns and cracks.

Remove from oven, and top with dressing, turkey, tomato and cheeses. Return to oven, and bake for 6-8 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Buffalo Cauliflower

When I was younger I used to HATE buffalo chicken. I thought it smelled terrible, and tasted even worse. I didn't even want to be around it, so I avoided the the "let's go get wings" invitations from my friends.

It was kind of strange, but my aversion to buffalo wings disappeared over night when I was a sophomore in college. I was working in a steakhouse that served boneless wings as a appetizer, and one day I found myself craving them, so I ordered a plate. Suddenly, I couldn't get enough. I put buffalo sauce on everything now, from wings, to french fries, to mixing it with my salad dressing.

David and I are both on Weight Watchers, so I am always trying to find healthy, (and gluten-free!) versions of our favorite foods. When I found a recipe for buffalo cauliflower I knew it would be a great alternative to the fried, greasy wings that David and I love so much!

My husband was a little wary when I told him what I was making, but he wound up eating his portion, and the portion that I made for him to take for lunch tomorrow.

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces. (I took the lazy approach and used a bag of frozen cauliflower)
1 cup gluten-free flour
1 cup water
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt to taste
1 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
1 tbsp margarine

preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a bowl, combine water, flour, garlic, and salt. Dunk cauliflower in mixture to coat, and place in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, while cauliflower is baking, combine buffalo sauce and margarine in a separate bowl. Remove cauliflower from oven, and toss in sauce to coat. Return cauliflower to baking dish, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.

I served mine with celery sticks and Bolthouse Farm's yogurt ranch dressing. If you prefer blue cheese, make sure you get a gluten free version, as blue cheese sometimes has gluten!

Pimento Cheese

For the past 3 days I have been craving a pimento cheese, spinach, and turkey bacon on a gluten free wrap. However, I haven't had a debit/credit card for 5 days, due to someone stealing my account number. I have had no access to my money, and I haven't been able to leave my apartment for the last 3 days, because UPS was supposed to be delivering the cards. (Emphasis on supposed to be)...

Well, I am finally free! The cards got delivered, and I immediately went to the grocery store and bought all the items for my wrap. I feel like it was my reward for 3 very frustrating days.

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped pimentos
1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt (or mayo if you prefer. I made the lower calorie version)
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until mixed. Enjoy!