Low Gluten-Dairy Free Waffles- Recipe

Hello all you wonderful people! I figured its time for a recipe. I haven't posted one in just forever! This time it is WAFFLES!! Yum, every Saturday morning should be filled up with waffles! I call these low-gluten because they are made with Spelt, which can usually be consumed by people who have an irritation to traditional wheat products. Not celiac's! They still need to avoid, because Spelt is part of the wheat family and does contain a certain amount of gluten. Go here to read up on Spelt to see if it will work for you. I am not celiac, but I do not tolerate wheat well. You should be able to find it at any well-stocked health food store.
Now to the recipe.
This recipe is adapted from Better Homes New Cook Book copyright dated 1989. It is actually their pancake recipe that ended up working out better as a waffle batter after I made all the substitutions for our dietary needs. I double or triple this recipe for Saturday morning feeds depending on how many of us are home. They are very light, but very filling.

Saturday Morning Waffles (Low-Gluten, Dairy-Free)

1 Cup White Spelt Flour
1 Tblsp Turbinado (aka Raw) Sugar
2 tsps Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg (use egg substitute if you need)
1 Cup Rice Milk (or any non-dairy milk substitute)
2 Tblsp Oil (we use walnut oil)

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking pwdr and salt. In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir mixture till blended but still slightly lumpy.

Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto waffle iron. For whatever reason, I find that it doesn't matter if I put just less than 1/3 cup or a full 1/3 cup...so I use the same amount with each waffle. It either doesn't reach the edge of the waffle iron and I have anemic looking waffles or this happens:

The same 1/3 cup that I put on the waffle iron...every time....

Served with Pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup.

I need to buy some from the local farms for this winter.

Some of us like to dunk.

Others of us are less...civilized...and drown our waffles.

Still, yet, some of us are a little more creative and use peach preserves made with honey.
Hubby doesn't eat Maple Syrup.

He did not feel as though his presentation was complete without

showing you the waffles with their

turkey breakfast sausage companions.

Don't you love my 70's Corelle? LOL

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

If At First You Don't Succeed.....

......try, try again! When I signed into Blogger today, I realized that I haven't posted in 10 days! I told myself I wouldn't let the blog go anymore...yet, here I am....

There hasn't been anything terribly exciting to update you on. My arm is doing great. I can't put much for pressure on my hand but I am noticing a lovely lack of pain when I am writing, crocheting, knitting, typing.... I am working my way back into cooking. I can cut veggies and fruits but I still cannot cut chicken. It takes a particular torque and pressure that I just can't achieve in my present level of healing.

I am discovering that not every dish I create for supper is a hit. Take the Chicken and Wild Rice soup I made for supper last night. I had boiled down a deli chicken carcass, removed the bones and peeled the meat off of the bone and threw it back in the broth. Then I chopped some celery, carrots and onion and threw it in. I added about a cup of wild rice, maybe a little more(?). Flavored it with some basil, thyme, pepper, garlic salt and rubbed sage. Thickened it with a little corn starch and milk. Added about a 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tbsp butter to the pot and called it good. Hubby and I loved it. Daughter gagged down a bite and son wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Go figure. I just had a leftover bowl for lunch that was just as good as last night. lol

However, the chicken (or chicken/black bean) enchilada recipe that we have been messing with has been perfected and the kids beg for those! All you do is cube up about a pound or so of chicken breasts and cook, in a decent sized skillet, with about 2 tbsp olive oil, a chopped onion and about 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. Then, you add to the pan 1 little can of diced green chilies, an 8 oz cream cheese cubed or cut into strips for easier melting and 1/2 a can of nacho flavored cheese (this is my one processed food item I just can't give up yet). Mix until smooth. At this point, you can either add a can of drained and rinsed black beans, or leave it as is. Then, spoon a small portion into warmed (wrap in tinfoil, put into 325 degree oven for 15 minutes) 6" corn tortillas, roll and place seam side down in a sprayed or greased 9x13 pan. This should make you two pans. Pour a can of enchilada sauce on EACH pan. So if you have two pans, you'll need two cans of sauce. Sprinkle generously with cheese (we like sharp cheddar). Leave uncovered and cook at 375 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese begins to brown a little at the edges. This has become an absolute favorite food in our house. I don't know why I ever thought enchiladas were hard to make!! lol My hubby has had to make the last few batches, though, cuz of the inability to cut chicken. I'm sure he'll be happy to hand the job back to me. :)

I've been working on knitting some coffee cup cozies. I started with this pattern. Mine does not turn out as cute and tight as hers. Mine is all loopy on the bind off. So I sort of redid it to suit me. Here's what I came up with:

Knitted cup cozy
material: less than 2 oz of yarn, 7dpns

CO 40st, join to make circle
row 1: k1, p1
row 2: inc, continue in established pattern around.
row3-16: repeat rows 1 and 2 ending with 48 stitches
row 17-18: purl each st around
BO in purl. Cut, leave long end for winding.

I will try to post a picture of it soon. It's sort of cute. :)

Ok, I think that's all I have to blather on about for today. Let me know if you try any of the recipes. :)

Tah!

Homemade Granola

Home Made Granola
by Elizabeth Mareno 2010

Ingredients:

6 Cups Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Canola Oil. (I'm sure you could use less, this is my preference)
1/2 Cup Rough Chopped Raw Walnuts
1/2 Cup Rough Chopped Almonds (blanched or peel on...your preference)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Almond Extract
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins or other dried fruit of choice


Place your oats and nuts in a large mixer bowl.

Put the honey, oil, cinnamon and extracts into a small pot. Warm until honey is loose and runny and the flavors are well incorporated. Then slowly pour the liquid into the mixer bowl while using the large paddle. I find that it sticks less. :)

Once you have all of the wet and dry ingredients incorporated, spread a portion of the mix very thin on a large, greased cookie sheet. You will have to do this several times to make it through all of the oat mix.

This picture is just a freebie. lol. It has no purpose, I just wanted to show you an example of the size I leave my walnuts. I take a portion of the mix before I add the nuts and cook it separate for my daughter...she's not a nut-lover.

Then put the pan in the oven for 20 minutes set @ 300 degrees. You can cook it longer to get a crisper granola. At 20 minutes, there is a bit of a "chew" to the oats. Don't get me wrong, they are crisp after cooking (It crisps as it cools)...but, once you start adding any moisture to it...it is chewy. If you find you don't like this texture, double bake it. I have done that and it has enjoyable results. OR just avoid the double-baking and bake it about 25-30 minutes watching to make sure you don't burn it or get it darker than you like.

After your granola is cooled completely. Add your dried fruits of choice and store in an air-tight container. Our house is not hot, so I leave it on our counter. I've heard some others say to store it in the fridge....you may have to see what works for you.

This granola makes a lovely cereal, yogurt topping, fruit topping, snack.....you name it. I leave the fruit out and use it in any recipe calling for a "granola cereal"....like cookies. :)

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Loin

Another "came up with it one-day" recipe for you to try.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Loin
by Elizabeth Mareno

Need:
3-4 Lb Pork Loin or Roast - Lean
Minced Garlic
Dried Basil/Oregano
Salt and Pepper

Place roast in crock pot. Cover entire top of roast with minced garlic. (no kidding, the whole top)
Sprinkle Basil/Oregano over the top till its dark and everything looks covered in dried herbs. ( i know this is vague) Even if it looks like too much, trust me, it's not. I use a salt grinder. I made a few passes over the top with the salt and the pepper....and cook for 8 hours.

Simply shred the pork roast into the juices it created and serve on buns. It's incredible.

Crock Pot Southwestern-ish Chuck Roast

No pictures for this. Just don't have a working camera at my disposal. After thinking about this, somebody, somewhere probably came up with this idea before me. However, I didn't get this recipe from anyone but my own brain, so I'm posting it as an original recipe. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did. :)

Crock Pot Southwestern-ish Chuck Roast
by Elizabeth Mareno

Serves about 5-6 people generously

Need:
3-4lb chuck roast- frozen
1- can tomatoes and green chilies- do not drain.
1- can Bush's Texas Chili Starter (we use medium heat)
Ground Cumin
Instant Rice (we made a 4 serving size and had tons left over)
Shredded Cheese (optional)
Large crock pot (ours is an oval 6 Qt)

Put the frozen chuck roast into crock pot. Pour can of tomatoes/chilies over the top of the roast, juice and all (don't add extra liquid). Sprinkle generously with cumin. Cook 8 hours.

About 15-ish minutes before serving, remove all fat and bones from roast (i just leave it in the crock pot and do this), then shred meat. Add the can of chili starter. Let cook in crock pot about 15 minutes while you get the instant rice ready.

Serve over rice with shredded cheese. Last minute serving add-in's could be jalapeno's for some heat, extra green chilies, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips....use your imagination.

This makes AWESOME leftovers!!

Oatmeal-Fruit Preserve Bars

This is my family's current favorite dessert. Wonderful for Fall parties. We've used raspberry preserves and apple butter....wonderful any way you slice them!

Oatmeal-Fruit Preserve Bars

1-1/2 sticks of butter/margarine (3/4cup)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups of rolled oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
10 oz jar of preserves, any flavor

Cream together butter and sugar till fluffy. Mix flour, salt and soda together to incorporate. Add oats and flour mixture to butter mixture till crumbly.

Take 2/3 of oat mixture and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread preserves over the oat mixture. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of preserves.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until browned. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Also serves great right out of the oven as a 'crisp' with ice cream.

Fruit Pizza

OK. Talk about being a "Pokey Jones"! I promised you this recipe back in March!! So sorry.


Pictures first, then recipe.





Fruit Pizza


1-1/2 cup butter
3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar

Mix, put in a jelly roll pan. Bake @ 350 degrees until brown. Let cool.

2-8 oz cream cheese (softened)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

Blend and spread on cooled crust.

Arrange any combination of fruits: apples, strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges, bananas, etc. on top of cream cheese mixture.

4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 cups pineapple juice
2 tsp lemon juice

Cook until thickened. Pour over fruit. Cover all fruit.


I. Heart. Fruit. Pizza. Passionately.

Corn Tortilla Recipe

Here's the corn tortilla recipe I promised awhile ago. It and I are finally in the same place at the same time.

Corn Tortilla's

1-1/2 C AP Flour
3/4 C Cornmeal (Fine or Coarse depending on the 'grit' you want)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 egg
2-1/4 C Very Cold Water

Beat till smooth.
Heat griddle @ 350 degrees
Ladle out 3 Tbsp of batter onto griddle and quickly spread out to about 6".
Turn when the edges are dry, not brown.
Place on a paper towel to cool.

**My experience with these was the the middle looked too gooey to turn, but the edges were dry. Don't pay attention to the middles, they will cook after you flip them. Some of them I overcooked, some of them were just right. They will feel a little stiff coming off of the griddle, but they will soften up and become pliable while cooling.

I made vegetarian refried beans mixed with black beans on the stovetop. I mashed the black beans down a little so that they weren't whole. Then I served with cheese, lettuce, black olives, and sour cream. Hubby likes onions and nobody likes tomatoes in our house...but you can serve with regular taco meat too. This is what we ate for tacos when I was a kid. It's super cheap to make and goes a looooong way!

Sunday Dinner Shepherd's Pie

Oh. Mercy. This was incredible. And yet again, we are just a bunch of pigs and ate it all before I could get a picture!!

Sunday Dinner Shepherds Pie
by Elizabeth Mareno

3-4 B/S chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper
1 can cond cream of mushroom soup
1 can green beans, drained
1 can kernelled corn, drained ** Don't use creamed, it gets too runny
3 C dry stuffing (traditional stuffing-if you use instant, follow pkg directions for making)
1 pkg Garlic Herb instant mashed potatoes**like the four cheese, it comes in boxes of two
8 oz shredded cheddar
milk**for the potatoes
butter**for the potatoes & stuffing
Casserole Dish like the Oval Baker

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook chicken thoroughly in olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make your stuffing while your chicken is cooking. When chicken is cooked through, add can of soup and drained veggies. Cook until well mixed. Place in casserole dish.

To make stuffing: Put 3 C of dry stuffing into a bowl. Heat up 3/4 C water and 1Tbl butter on stove and pour over stuffing. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Layer your pie like so: Chicken mixture, cheese, stuffing, potatoes

Bake for 25 minutes.

YUM! Like eating Sunday Dinner without all of the mess! You might want to serve some cranberry sauce and a salad with this one!! Enjoy!

South Western Baked Goulash

No pictures again.

Southwestern Baked Goulash
by Elizabeth Mareno

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion chopped
1/2 Tbl Cumin
salt and pepper
1 can tomatoes/green chilis (Rotel type product) ,drained
1 can southwest style corn, drained
8 oz uncooked elbow mac
8 oz or more of shredded cheddar
8x11 or 9x13 pan

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown meat and onion and spices (salt and pepper to taste). Cook pasta while meat is cooking. When meat is cooked and onions are soft, add tomatoes/chili mix and corn to meat. Add about 1/3 of cheese to mixture. Drain noodles and add to mixture. Place in casserole dish, top with the remaining cheese and cook for about 25 minutes.

Cheeseburger Shepherd's Pie

Sorry to say that I have no pictures to share with you on this one. We pretty much inhaled it so fast I couldn't have taken a picture of anything but the crispy bits left on the pan....

Cheeseburger Shepherd's Pie
by Elizabeth Mareno
**If somebody else already put this recipe out there..I have no idea..I just made it up as I went along.**

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion chopped
1 can cond cream of mushroom soup
1 can green beans (drained)
1 can kernelled corn (drained) **Don't use creamed-makes it too runny(DH knows! LOL)
8 oz shredded cheddar**put as much as you like, this is just a place to start
1 pkg four cheese instant tatoes **they usually come in a box with two packages
milk **for the potatoes
butter **for the potatoes
salt and pepper
8x11 or 9x13 pan

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown meat and onion on a medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make your potatoes while your meat is cooking. When meat is cooked through and onions are soft(which they will be as long as you add the onions to the meat right away) drain the meat if you want. If you don't care (like me) add the soup and let it heat up with the meat. It will get sort of melty. Once the soup and the meat are mixed well add your drained vegetables and mix. (if you really aren't diggin' the veggies and just want the meat, leave them out)

Layer your pie like this: Meat mixture, Cheese, Potatoes.

A 9x13 pan can spread it a little thin. But some 8x11 pans can seem too small. You'll have to use your judgement and make sure you have something in your oven to catch possible drips or Oh Lordy will your kitchen Stink! I usually use the "Oval Baker" from Pampered Chef. Not that I'm trying to advertise from them, but this pan works really well.

Cook for about 25 minutes.

Our family has decided this is a new 'staple' in our food rotation. It is just that good!

Tuna Casserole

Fish- Biz style! We don't do fish in our house usually. This is a seriously revamped recipe. I won't call it my own because all I did was screw up the original recipe. Come to find out it was fantastic! So I will give you this recipe with my tweaks added in. It is 'the dish' that I'm required to bring to all the potlucks....my people love it! Your people will too!

Tuna Casserole: Biz Style
serves at least 6 hearty portions

1lb bag wide egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can condensed cheese soup
1 med onion coarsely chopped
2 Tbl butter
One soup can of milk
1-2 cans of tuna drained (depending on how fishy you like it)
One roll Ritz or Club crackers
Parmesan cheese

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook egg noodles in pot, drain and set aside (this can be done while cream mixture is cooking).

In medium saucepan saute onions in butter. Once onions are translucent or at least soft add soups and milk . Cook over med heat until bubbly. Add drained tuna in and heat through.

Put egg noodles in 13x9 pan. Pour cream sauce over the top and mix in well. Crumble crackers over the top of the noodles. Liberally sprinkle parmesan over the top of that. Put in oven.

Cook for 35 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Cowboy Beans

Another recipe from the kitchen of Biz! This was a staple in my house when we were growing up. Over the years I have tweaked the original recipe to fit our family, hope you enjoy!


Cowboy Beans by Elizabeth Mareno
Serves 2 very hearty portions(with some leftover)-4 smaller portions

1 Medium onion or 1/2 Lg onion chopped coarsely
1 lb super lean ground meat (95% lean beef, turkey, chicken)
1 28 oz can Vegetarian Baked Beans (do not drain)
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper

Brown meat and onion in medium sauce pan until onions are translucent and meat is done. Add beans, brown sugar, and worcestershire sauce. Cook till well incorporated (about 4-5 minutes on a medium heat). Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve.

Crock-Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice

This is my own 'concoction' recipe. Came up with it a few weeks ago and discovered that I wrote it down in my journal! Of all things! Well, I decided today to make it again AND to share the recipe with you cuz its really good!

Crockpot Southwest Chicken and Rice
by Elizabeth Mareno



Serves 4-6
1 Large container chicken broth (160z) -although a 14oz can will do fine too.
1 Can mixed corn (southwest style with peppers) drained
1 Can black beans rinsed and drained
1 Can diced tomatoes- do not drain.
4-6 slices of jalapeno- finely chopped (i use more depending on how spicy i want it)
1 small onion chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic (yes its a tablespoon, not a teaspoon!)
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2/3 C rice
4-5 Chicken breasts- frozen

-In crockpot mix all ingredients except the rice and chicken.

-If you have a large oblong crockpot lay the frozen chicken on top of the mixture. If you have a deep crockpot, wedge the chicken into the mixture so that each piece is in the liquid.

-Cook on High for 3-1/2 to 4 hours, put rice into crockpot one hour before its done.
If you like your rice very mushy and porridge-like, add the rice right away with the rest of the ingredients. We've had it both ways and its very good.

-Serve with tortilla chips and cheese and sour cream!

**This recipe would also be great with leftovers and minute rice on the stovetop!

Chicken Chili (2 Weight Watchers Pts/Cup)

I make this awesome chicken chili. I got the recipe at a Weight Watchers meeting months ago. I've probably made it about 5 times since then. My family LOVES it! I have modified the recipe as I felt like the original was just too watery. It is made in a smaller batch and is still the 2 points per cup that it was before.

Chicken Chili:
2 WW points per cup
Makes 14 Cups

3 large chicken breasts- boiled and shredded
3 cans Great Northern Beans - (Bush's has no fat) (original recipe calls for 7 cans)
1 16 oz jar Pace Picante sauce (original recipe calls for 2 bottles)
2 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Med onion- diced
3 cloves garlic
4 Cups water (original recipe calls for 6 cups)

I usually boil my chicken and while its boiling I assemble the rest in my crockpot. I shred the chicken taking off all the gross pieces. Put the chicken in the pot, put it on high and let it cook for about 5-6 hours. You can't really over cook this soup.

We serve it with Non fat sour cream, 2% cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Make sure you watch your portion sizes on these and remember to add whatever extra points you put into your soup. Another really great add in would be jalepenos....