Fajitas

Fajitas

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peppers
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I use a little more to taste)
1/4 tsp ground chili powder (I also use a little more)
1 lb chicken strips (I used leftover turkey)
2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet
2. Add the peppers and onions and cook until soft
3. Add cumin, chili powder, and lime juice (use extra or less to taste). I usually put the spices in after it has cooked but you can put them in before the peppers and onions are soft.
4. Stuff mixture into corn tortillas
5. Serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired (I omit since I am avoiding dairy). I cooked up brown rice tonight to serve with the fajitas.

Avocado, Eggs, Corn Tortillas, and Salsa Verde

1/2 avocado sliced
2 eggs scrambled
2 corn tortillas (I used mission white corn tortillas)
Salsa Verde to taste (I use La Victoria)

Layer eggs and avocado inside corn tortilla and cover with salsa verde to taste.

Gluten Free Bread

I am done paying for GF bread at almost $5 a loaf. I can do without the bread but Aiden is on a GF diet and needs sandwiches for school.

Today is the third time I have made gluten free bread and I am quite impressed with the results. I know I have made something good when the kids ask for seconds. My first two times I made the fat free french loaf my Bette Hagman and the kids loved it but I was not a fan. Today I made "Gluten Free Olive Oil Bread" from the book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Their original book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" inspired me when I first began making my own bread years ago.

My kids loved this bread with peanut butter. I did not eat it because I milled my own brown rice flour with my wheat grinder. I cleaned it out but I am worried about contamination plus I avoiding soy. I do not have pictures because I cannot figure out how to import pictures without my husband present.

This recipe makes 4 1-pound loaves so I halved the recipe.

1 cup brown rice flour (I milled by own with my grinder)
1/2 cup soy flour (super cheap at Winco)
1 cup tapioca flour/starch (also at Winco)
3 1/2 cups cornstarch
2 tablespoons of granulated yeast
1 tablespoons of kosher salt (I use mortons sea salt)
2 tablespoons of xanthan gum
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
2/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar (I used Braggs apple cider vinegar)

This is how I made the bread:

1. Mix all the flours, cornstarch, yeast, salt, and  xanthan gum in kitchen aid mixer
2. Combine the wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients
3. Use your dough hook to mix all the ingredients (the dough looks more wet than with regular bread and this is normal)
4. Put in a bowl greased with olive oil and cover with a towel for 2 hours (I put mine in the off oven to keep it off the counter)
5. You can use the dough right away or store in the fridge (which is what I do because cold dough is easier to handle) in an airtight, not lidded contained. (I used a lidded container but no no snap it on). The flavor is better if you wait 24 hours according to the authors. I waited about 15.
6. When you are ready to bake, use your wet hands and take out a pound (size of a grapefruit) of the dough and shape it into a ball. I had to wet my hands to keep the dough from sticking together. Only use the amount of dough you are going to use to make bread and put the rest in the fridge.
7. Place it on stone (which I do) or another baking pan (not a loaf pan). You can use a cookie pan.
8. Allow to rest for 90 minutes. Put oven on 400 a little before your resting time is done.
9. Place your bread in the lower 2/3 of the oven the top rack. On the bottom rack, fill a pan with a couple cups of water (I use a 8x10 pan filled halfway with water). The creates a steam basket in the oven to make the bread have a nice crust.
10. Bake about 40 minutes (I took mine out when the crust was brown) and then let cool before slicing.

Spinach Tacos with Caramelized Onions (from Amy)

10 ounces cleaned spinach
olive oil
1 large white or red onion sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I minced)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c. chicken broth or water (I used vegetable broth)
salt to taste (I omitted)
12 warm corn tortillas (I used white corn Mission tortillas)
1 c. crumbled queso fresco, feta or goat cheese (I omitted this for myself since I cannot tolerate dairy. The family used feta)
salsa for serving

can add chicken if you would like heartier tacos. (Amy likes it with tofu). I added leftover turkey. 

Heat oil and add onion; cook until golden but still crunchy. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir; add broth or water, salt and greens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and cook until greens are almost tender (2-3 min) Uncover pan and raise the heat and cook, stirring continually until mixutre is nearly dry. Tast and season with salt if necessary. Serve with warm tortillas, crumbled cheese and salsa.


I found that I had to add more spinach :-) 

Zucchini Noodle Soup

10 baby carrots sliced
1 celery stalk sliced
2 large garlic cloves minced
1 medium zucchini, peeled (julienned..I just did this over the soup until I reached the seeds)
1/4 onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth (I used 6 tsp better than bouillon mixed with 6 cups water)
add some leftover turkey if desired

I threw all this together with what I had on hand and let boil until the vegetables were tender.
I got this idea from www.elanaspantry.com but did not follow her recipe exactly

Garbonzo Bean Chocolate Cake (from Amy)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Amy uses dark chocolate chips too)
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. 
2. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent. 
3. Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. 
4. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.


**Amy says her whole family loves this **

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada's

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves minced
fresh lime juice from one lime
2 1/2 cups cooked diced sweet potatoes
1/2 cup diced green chilies (about 2 -4oz cans...fire roasted also taste good)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Green Salsa Verde (I use LaVictoria Brand)
Corn Tortillas (I used larger corn tortillas called La Burrita)

1. Cook the sweet potatoes (I chop and dice and cook in a skillet)
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl then add the cooked sweet potatoes to the mixture. I add about a cup of the green salsa to the mixture.
3. Warm the corn tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften
4. Place some the enchilada mixture in the tortilla so you can still roll up. The amount of tortillas I use each time varies. Keep making enchiladas until you are out of the mixture. You can add the extra amount of the sweet potato and bean mixture on top of the enchiladas before baking (I like to do this)
5. Place the enchilada's in an 8x10 baking dish (I used my pampered chef stoneware)
6. Pour chile verde sauce on top of the enchiladas
7. Bake 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. The corn tortillas tend to bake and crisp faster without the chile verde sauce.

I revised this recipe from the original recipe on www.wholefoods.com

**Add cheese to the enchiladas before rolling up and also add cheese to the top of the enchilada's before baking. I do this for my family**