Mmmmm... Cookies

I received a box of Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams Vanilla Graham Mini Cookies as part of my birthday gifts. These cookies are wheat free, gluten free, peanut free, dairy free, egg free and nut free. They aren't exactly like "regular" cookies but they are good! They taste like graham crackers but with a lot of cinnamon. Very good for a quick snack! I also received the chocolate cake mix and vanilla frosting so I can bake myself a safe cake! I haven't tried them out yet but I will let you all know how they turn out when I do.

Ginger Soy Salad Dressing

I love this dressing!
My favorite salad is baby spring greens, mandarin oranges, red onions and slivered almonds drizzled with this dressing.

1 1/2 Tbs grated ginger
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs honey
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
Store in refrigerator but allow to come back to room temperature before serving.

Hatch Chili, Beef & Quinoa Soup

This soup is my first attempt at cooking with quinoa.
Quinoa is a grain that is safe for people that need to avoid gluten. It tastes slightly nutty and adds a lot of texture to this soup. Having said that the texture is something that I will need to get used to in this soup.
The soup is slightly spicy but the level of spice really depends on your Hatch Chili Peppers. The ones I used are the ones we roasted here at home!

3 lbs lean beef, cut into small cubes
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
2 tbs garlic, chopped
1 cup roasted Hatch Chili peppers, chopped
2 tbs parsley, dried
2 tbs cilantro, dried
12 cups beef broth
1 cup quinoa
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
3 tbs corn starch
salt & pepper to taste

In an 8 quart soup pot begin to cook the beef, celery, onions, carrots, garlic, parsley, and cilantro.
Add the roasted hatch chili, beef broth and enough water to fill the pot about 3/4 of the way.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer covered for about 2 hours or until the beef is very tender.
Bring back to a boil and add the quinoa.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Add the diced tomatoes and simmer covered for 30 minutes to an hour.
Mix the corn starch with water to form a slurry.
Add enough water to the soup pot to have a total volume of approximately 30 cups (7 1/2 quarts) and bring to a boil.
Add the corn starch slurry to the soup and cook for a few minutes.
This will not really thicken the soup too much but it adds a lot to the consistency.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Chipotle Pork Chili

Slightly spicy but in that sneaks up on you kind of way.

1 lb pork tenderloin, cubed
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs chili powder
2 tbs chipotle in adobo, chopped
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans kidney beans
salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet cook the pork, onions, garlic, chili powder, and chipotle in adobo until the onion is tender.
Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring to a boil then simmer until the desired thickness is achieved.

Glazed Cornish Game Hens

Cornish Game Hens are one of those foods that to me just makes any meal seem like something special.
This is a super simple but full of flavor recipe.

2 cornish game hens

2 tbs molasses
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs sweet chili sauce
1 tbs gluten free soy sauce
1 tbs honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ginger powder

Mix together the marinade.
Pour over the cornish game hens.
Allow to marinate for 4 hours or longer.
Place cornish game hens in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the top.
Bake at 375 for 1 hour.
Basting every 15 minutes.
Turn oven up to 425 and bake 15 to 30 minutes longer until the hens are done and the skin is crispy.

Fresh Baked Bread!

Oh so yummy!!
These loaves turned out so beautiful that I had to share. They tasted as great as they look too! They were made from Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix.

Dairy & Gluten Free Fudge

Fudge... Safe Fudge. Delicious Fudge.

You can change up the flavors from the classic here by using different flavored extracts such as mint or coconut. Speaking of coconut I bet that this would work with coconut milk instead of rice milk too.

Kinda sticky and not hard like typical fudge though. You might prefer it frozen if you want a firmer texture.

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips
1/2 cup enriched vanilla rice milk (use vanilla almond milk to be gluten free)
2 tbs dairy free buttery spread
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Bring the rice milk and buttery spread to a boil.
Take the milk off the heat and whisk in the chocolate mixture.
Keep whisking until the chocolate chips are melted.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Spread into an 8 x 8 pan. Silicone is best or lightly spray so that your fudge comes out.
Refrigerate until solid.