Menu Plan

Breakfasts this week will be pumpkin muffins, greek yogurt, cereal and fruit, or scrambled eggs and ham in corn tortillas.

Lunches will be leftovers or grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches with chips and fruit.  I got a coupon for a free loaf of Udi's bread from a facebook promotion, so the kids are excited about having fluffy white bread for sandwiches.  I also won a $5 off Laura's Lean Beef coupon this week in a facebook promotion.  It pays to follow your favorite companies on facebook and twitter!

Here's the plan for dinners:
Sunday- pad thai
Monday- potato soup, salad, and corn muffins
Tuesday-flourless pizza with ham, pineapple and banana peppers; salad 
Wednesday- Tinkyada penne and meatballs in garlic-cream sauce; steamed broccoli and carrots
Thursday- veggie stir fry with peanut sauce over brown rice
Friday- pancakes, bacon, and fruit
Saturday- meatballs with mushrooms and onions in bbq sauce over cheddar polenta

This post is linked up at Menu Plan Monday.  

Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from The Baking Beauties' carrot muffins

Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line 12 standard-sized muffin cups.

Whisk dry ingredients below in a medium-sized bowl until combined well.
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp flaxmeal
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts or seeds (I used a mix of walnuts and sunflower seeds)


In a separate bowl, mix the following:
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs

Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined.  Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

The links above are amazon affiliate links.

Sour Cream and Onion Dip

I'm a snacker.  I like sweets, but I have absolutely no willpower where salty snacks are concerned.  Chips and dip are a particular weakness.  However, I rarely buy dip these days because the ingredient list on most brands is just too scary.  Tonight I had a serious craving for sour cream and onion dip that nothing else was going to satisfy, so I decided to make some myself.  After looking about a dozen difference recipes, I cobbled together one of my own.  The end result wasn't very photogenic, but it was very tasty. 

Sour Cream and Onion Dip
1 1/2 cups sour cream (or greek yogurt or a mixture)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp Simply Organic all-purpose seasoning (or other herb blend of your choice)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until it becomes translucent.  Add salt and reduce heat to low.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and begin to carmelize (approx 15-20 mins).  Stir cooked onions and remaining ingredients into sour cream.  I chose to pulse everything in the food processor a few times to get smoother consistency since my husband does not like the texture of onions. 

Hubby and I both loved this.  Far too many potato chips were consumed. :)  It would be great on veggies, too and the seasonings could be easily adjusted to suit your taste. 

Herbed Parmesan Fries

In the winter we eat potatoes on a regular basis.  They're inexpensive, versatile, filling, and naturally gluten-free.  What more could we want?  They also have quite a bit to offer nutritionally--according to the Idaho Potato commission, a medium-sized potato with the skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C, 18% of potassium ,10% of B₆, and 8% of your daily fiber.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a Progressive International mandoline slicer and I used it tonight to turn russet potatoes into homemade fries.  (That's an amazon affiliate link.  If you choose to shop through it, I'll earn a small commission.)  I've cut fries before with a knife and I have to say using the mandoline was nice and speedy! After slicing the potatoes, I tossed them into a bowl of cold water while working on some other things in the kitchen.  When I was ready to cook them, I drained off the water, patted dry and placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Here they are draining in the sink:

After putting them on the cookie sheet, I drizzled a little olive oil and salt over them, then baked at 450 for about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.  When they came out of the oven I sprinkled them with finely ground parmesan cheese and some Simply Organic All-Purpose seasoning.  The kids and adults agreed they were deee-licious!

Apple Glazed Sausages Over Polenta

Apple Glazed Sausages
4 links fully-cooked gluten-free chicken-apple sausages, sliced (I used Aidell's brand)
1 Tbsp oil
8 ozs sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
2 Tbsp gf soy sauce
1 cup apple juice

In a 12" inch skillet, heat oil over medium.  Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.  Add sausages and cook until they begin to brown.  Stir remaining ingredients together and add to pan.  Simmer over medium heat until sauce has reduced by about half.  Serve over polenta.

Simple Polenta
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal

Bring broth and juice to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add salt and cornmeal, whisking constantly as you pour them in.  Turn heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until mixture is thick and smooth, stirring frequently.

No pictures with this recipe, because I was just too busy cooking!  However, hubby and I both loved it so we'll definitely be making it again.  I'll try to get a decent pic next time.

Black Bean & Quinoa Burrito Bowls

My family loves Chipotle and Qdoba because they're super-tasty and offer many gluten-free options.  I've been craving a burrito bowl for the past several days, and decided to make my own (somewhat) healthier version at home.  My food photography skills are not so great....I promise this tasted a lot better than the picture looks!

I used black beans that had cooked earlier in the slow-cooker with lots of garlic.  Dried beans are so easy to fix in the slow-cooker and far cheaper than canned.  We served the beans over quinoa and topped them with of our favorite burrito toppings.  My bowl had a little shredded sharp cheddar, lots of avocado and cilantro, salsa, cucumbers, and diced jalapenos.  I know the cukes sound a little strange, but I love their cool crunchiness with the spicy stuff!  Hubby chose cheese, sour cream, salsa, and lettuce for his bowl, and our daughter had cheese and sour cream on hers.  Our son, the resident picky eater, had a grilled cheese and an apple. 

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

These peanut butter kiss cookies were a big hit at a family Christmas gathering.  Several people ate them and had no idea they were gf, which I think is a good thing.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Heshey's chocolate kisses

*The links above are amazon affiliate links.*

Heat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together in the sugars, peanut butter, shortening, and butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well-blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.  Gradually add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture, while blending on low speed.  When mixture is smooth and well-blended, drop onto prepared cookie sheet by scant tablespoons.

Bake for about 9 minutes, or until cookies are set and just starting to brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss into the top of each cookie.  Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack--they will be very soft at first.