Buffalo Quinoa "Mac" and Cheese

I get to see my parents in 4 days. In 6 days I am going on a road trip with my cousin, and in a week I get to see one of my oldest friends. I have a pretty jam packed couple of days coming up, and whenever I go out of town for a few days I try to leave food behind for my husband.

David loves mac and cheese, so I made a big batch of quinoa "mac" and cheese so that he can have a few days worth of lunches and dinners while I am gone. He tends to work late when I am gone, so I wanted to leave some food for him so he doesn't have to worry about cooking while I am gone.



1 1/2 cups quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/4 for sprinkling
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1 1/2 cup chopped broccoli

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Lightly saute broccoli, until softened.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, 2 cups of cheese, and hot sauce, Add quinoa and broccoli.

Grease a baking dish, and add quinoa mixture. Top with bread crumbs, and shredded cheese. Bake for 30 - 35 min, until bread crumbs brown, and cheese is melted.

Creamy Cauliflower with Goat Cheese and Chives

I changed a lot of my eating habits when I found out I have Celiac Disease. Obviously, I gave up gluten, but I changed more than that. I am much more aware of the nutritional values of food. I found out that the years of basically being malnourished had let to multiple vitamin deficiencies. I have to think about everything I put into my body, in ways that I never had to before.

I cook more than I used to, mostly out of necessity. I used to order food, or pick up a frozen pizza, etc. Now I prefer eating in to going out, because I have complete control over what I an ingesting. It can be annoying at times, especially when I have been working all day, or when I am exhausted. But, when I cook I can have the comfort of knowing that I am putting good, healthy things into my body. 

2 cups cauliflower

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

1 tbsp chives

Heat cauliflower on stove top, over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, oil, goat cheese and chives. Add mixture to cauliflower, and heat until sauce melts. 

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Mustard Sauce

I often find that people are surprised that I can cook. I was never a domestic type girl, and used to always say that I would marry a man who cooked so that I never had to. I gradually learned to love it, and now, I cannot imagine not doing it.

Tonight, I was catching up with an old friend, and was telling her about this blog. She googled it, expressed some surprise about how good the food looked, and then informed me that she had no idea I cooked. I laughed, and later remembered something. I used to make her fried potatoes, back when we were 15, and she LOVED them!

I also want to wish her congratulations on her upcoming wedding, and Katie, I cannot wait to see you again!

None of that had anything to do with dinner, I quickly came up with a recipe, and it turned out amazing! I have realized that I have so many sauces and condiments in my fridge that there is no room for anything else. So I made a pork tenderloin using up some sauces from almost empty jars in my fridge.

1 pork tenderloin
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp horseradish

In a bowl, combine yogurt, Dijon mustard, grain mustard, Worcestershire sauce,and horseradish, stirring until blended.  Use sauce to marinate tenderloin for 1+ hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tenderloin in a baking dish, and cook for 30 min, or until medium. (40 for medium well, 45 for well).

Remove from oven, and cover tightly with aluminum foil, and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy! 

Ham and Leek Pie Muffins

There is a restaurant down the street that serves a killer ham and leek pie. Before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease my husband and I used to walk down there, split a bottle of wine, and a ham and leek pie. Even though I cannot eat it, my husband still orders it whenever when we go to dinner there.

A few weeks ago they changed chefs, and to my husband's dismay, the ham and leek pie is not the same. Ever since that disappointing night, he has been bugging me to try to make it at home.

I make David chicken pot pie muffins to take to work, so I figured I would try to turn the ham and leek pie into ham and leek muffins. They turned out pretty good!

1 ham steak
1 leek, finely chopped
1 cup broth (I used vegetable)
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes

2 cups gluten-free Bisquick
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
3 eggs

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Cut shortening in to Bisquick mix., until shortening is pea sized. Stir in remaining ingredients until dough forms.

Grease a muffin tin, and spoon in dough, making cup shapes. Set aside.

On the stove top, over medium heat combine broth, wine, mustard, leeks garlic and thyme, stirring until leeks soften. Add yogurt and ham, stirring occasionally, until ham is warmed. add potato flakes to thicken.

Spoon mixture over biscuits, and cook in the oven, 16 - 20 min, until biscuits are golden brown.

Worcestershire Burgers With Garlic Spread

In a few weeks, David and I will be going to visit my parents in Dayton, Ohio. One of the things that I always look forward to when I got home is going to the local butcher, and getting some of their incredible burgers. When we have a family gathering we usually order a bunch of burgers, in all different flavors. (They come in bacon cheddar, black and blue, philly cheesesteak, Worcestershire and plain). Today, I was talking to my mom, and she had mentioned how she was craving one of those burgers, which in turn gave me a craving. 

Since I am over 600 miles away, I decided to try to come up with my own recipe for Worcestershire burgers. I can't have the one from the butcher's anymore, (they do not use gluten-free sauce) so if I want them I have to make them for myself!

For burger:

1 pack ground sirloin

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (always check and make sure it's gluten-free)

1 tbsp coarse black pepper

1/4 cup diced onions

1 tsp garlic powder

salt to taste

For garlic spread:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or mayo if you prefer)

1 lemon wedge, squeezed

1 tsp diced garlic

1 tsp parsley

 in a large bowl, combine all the burger ingredients. Use your hands to mix, until all ingredients are evenly distributed. For meat into patties, (I did a full sized burger for my husband, and sliders for me). Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add burgers, flipping occasionally, until meat is at desired temperature. (rare 120-130F, med rare 130-135F, med 135-150F, med well 150-165F, well 165F+)

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for spread in a small bowl, stirring until blended. 

I served my sliders on gluten-free ciabatta rolls, topped with the garlic spread, whole grain mustard, and smoked gouda. 

They wound up being pretty close to the original! 

Turkey Chili With Black Beans and Corn

Within the past few days I have been getting little pieces of good news. I have a new writing project to work on, I get to see my parents in a few weeks, and one of my very close friends has just gotten engaged! I have also gotten more responsibility at work, which means that I have a little less time this week than I usually do. 

When I know that David and I are going to be busy I like to make a big pot of food, something that I know will last us for a few days. I don't always like eating the same thing multiple times, so I decided to make chili. Chili is a versatile food, and can be eaten on its own, or used to make other dishes. It's perfect to have around if you are going to be too busy to cook!

1 pack ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup diced onions

1 1/2 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)

2 cans black beans

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

2 ancho chiles in adobo sauce, diced

1 1/2 tsp adobo sauce

3 tbsp hot sauce

In a stockpot, heat turkey, onion, diced tomato, and 1/2 of the chili powder over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is cooked all the way through. Add the rest of the chili powder, black beans and corn, and heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, green onions, whatever your heart desires! 

Ancho Chile Dip

A few weeks ago I went to a BBQ that my brother and his girlfriend were hosting. Whenever I get invited to a place where there is food I always try to bring something with me. I do this for two reasons, one so that I can show my gratitude, and two, so that I know that there will be at least one thing that I can eat!

I decided to make an ancho chile dip, and bought some gluten-free tortilla chips. I was happily snacking away, when I realized that people were dipping bread, pretzels, and other gluten filled items in the dip. I immediately stopped eating it, promising myself that I would make it again soon, without having to worry about cross contamination.  

1 16 oz container Greek yogurt

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

1/2 lime, juiced

2 ancho chiles in adobo sauce, minced

2 tbsp adobo sauce

1 tbsp chili powder

If you don't like really spicy things you can reduce the amount of peppers and sauce used. 

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, stirring until blended. Serve with gluten-free tortilla chips, pretzels, etc.