Quinoa Cheese Bites (gluten free)

Quinoa Cheese Bites

The boys could not agree how to eat these cheesy little dumplings: G-man smothered his in tomato sauce and the Cadet carefully dipped each bite. Does it really matter? They were eating quinoa. Voluntarily, cheerfully even.

Quinoa Cheese Bites started with Elle's recipe for Vegetarian Meatballs, and quinoa stands in place of crackers. A few more tweaks, and voila! Gluten free and oven baked, you can serve them as an entree or as a perfect take-along snack for a party.

1 cup quinoa, cooked*
1 large (or 2 small) eggs
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (I have not tried it, but I bet non-dairy cheese would work well.)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp basil

Cook the quinoa. (I added two cups of boiling water to the quinoa, stirred it until it came back to a boil, put the lid on the pot and left it for half an hour.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a large baking dish (or two, 12" square dishes) with coconut oil or olive oil.

Mix everything together. Form one-inch balls, gently press them together and place them onto the baking dish. If you dip your hands in water first, and again every so-often, it will be easier to form the balls. Bake, uncovered, for about forty minutes, until the tops are golden.

Serve with your favorite tomato sauce, or blend the following together:

16 oz unsalted tomato sauce
small onion
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic



[For anyone who is paying attention: yes, this is a repost from 2012. :) ]

Like recipes? Check out these recipe carnivals. Bloggers from all over the 'net share recipes at Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Thriving on Thursdays, the Friday Vegetarian Potluck, Foodie Friends Friday,  Fat Tuesday, the Hearth and Soul Hop, Make Your Own Monday,  Martha Mondays,  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Foodie Friday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

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One Dish Wonder: Tomato and Ricotta Potato Bake (gluten free, low sodium)

Tomato and Ricotta Potato Bake

Easy, easy easy! Take a few minutes for prep, layer the ingredients in a pan, and pop it in the oven. After about an hour you will be rewarded with a garlicky, cheesy potato dish that is perfect for a side or solo as a meatless entree.

2 medium potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt or lite salt (omit if using cottage cheese)
tomatoes (four large, eight small)
1/2 lb ricotta or drained cottage cheese
parsley
garlic
basil
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Finely slice the potatoes. (G-man and the Cadet do not mind the peels, and if you can get away without peeling you will have even less work. Just use the word, "rustic.") Toss the potato slices in olive oil and the salt. Slice the tomatoes.

In a covered casserole dish sprayed with olive oil, assemble the layers: Place a third of the potato slices at the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with garlic, parsley and basil. Top with half of the ricotta and half of the tomato slices. Layer with another third of the potatoes and seasonings, then the rest of the ricotta and tomatoes. For the final layer, arrange the last potato slices over the top. Sprinkle them with the seasonings and parmesan cheese. Gently press down to take out any air bubbles then put the lid on.

Bake at 350 for an hour, or 375 for 45 minutes. 

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Grilled Egg Salad (Seriously.... the eggs were hard-boiled on the grill!)

Grilled Egg Salad

It is during the hottest days of summer when I crave an egg salad sandwich. Somehow it seems unfair that egg salad requires hard boiled eggs which means a pot of boiling water heating up the the kitchen... Pass. I have experimented with pre-cooking and freezing eggs, and now understand how the the egg salad in those commercially prepared sandwiches get that weird rubbery texture. (Well there's an admission, eh?) In July's Food Network Magazine there was a page of photos of things you can grill. Veggies, berries, eggs... Eggs??? No explanation or instructions, just a picture of a hard-cooked egg and a warning to prick a hole in it first.

One night last week I gave it a shot. We were cooking burgers, and like every other time we grill the coals would be hot long after we finished our meal. I usually toss in a few potatoes to bake, and this time I added half a dozen eggs. I poked a hole in the end of each one, set them on the grill next to the taters, and closed the lid. I cannot be certain how long I should have left them there, but when I checked back in twenty minutes they were done.

After cooling on the counter for an hour, I placed the eggs in the fridge. The next morning, I peeled them. The shells were too brittle to peel neatly, so perhaps next time I will cool them down in a bowl of water. Inside the eggs were indeed hard cooked.

When preparing the egg salad, I did not bother with making mayonnaise in case the experiment failed. Instead I used three tablespoons of vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil. Chopped green onion, a little salt... and there I had it! An egg salad sandwich on a day it too hot to cook!

With a bun bun baked on the grill the night before, I would have to say this was a pretty good sandwich.



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Crock Pot Black-Eyed Peas and Greens (gluten free, vegan)

Crock Pot Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

It was a gorgeous afternoon to work in the garden, but too hot a day to simmer beans on the stove. That is what crock pots are for. I tossed the dry beans, chopped greens, onions and seasonings into a the crock pot and walked away for a few hours.

I must confess that black-eyed peas and greens is not an old standby meal for us, me from Ontario and Stealthy Dad from Wisconsin. One day I will find some Southerner to teach me how to make it authentically. For today, I went to what is familiar to me: garlic, coriander, cumin, and a touch of turmeric. Those seasonings work for lentils, so why not black-eyed peas? Served over quinoa, it all came together well.

[This has a really mild, kid-friendly level of seasoning. For a bit of heat, double the coriander and cumin. For a more heat, triple the coriander and cumin and add a teaspoon or two of hot chili powder.]

To a crock pot, add:

2 cups dry black-eyed peas
4 cups chopped greens (We had kale on hand.)
1 small red onion, chopped
7 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp paprika

Set the crock pot to "high", and find something else to do for four hours. If you are headed off to work for the day, set it on "low" and return home to a hot, fresh meal.  Serve over quinoa or rice.

If you are into healthy recipe and homestead ideas, check out link-ups where bloggers around the world share their creations: Thriving on Thursday

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Spinach and Lentils Lasagna (gluten free option)

Spinach and Lentils Lasagna

Creamy spinach layered with tangy tomatoes and lentils. Gooey mozzarella... We made the Lentils and Chunky Marinara sauce last night and half left in the fridge. The Cadet was asking for pasta, and G-man was begging for cheese. Add a bit of spinach, put it all together and voilá!

1/2 recipe Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce
1/2 pound box of lasagna noodles (or gluten free lasagna noodles)
8oz unsalted tomato sauce, canned or homemade
1 block frozen spinach
1 tsp basil (optional)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 egg
1 tsp olive oil
4oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375F. Meanwhile, prepare the lasagna noodles according to the directions. If you break them in half before you cook them it will be easier to work with them later.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the spinach, either in the microwave or on the stove. Stir in the basil, yogurt and egg, mixing well.

Smear a teaspoon of oil on the bottom and sides of a 12-inch square pyrex dish. Pour half of the plain tomato sauce into the bottom. As soon as the noodles are ready, drain them and arrange a single layer over the bottom. Top with half of the spinach mixture, then another layer of noodles. Top with half of the lentil sauce, another layer of noodles, then the remaining spinach mixture. Arrange the rest of the noodles over top. There should be just enough for another layer if you used a 12-inch pan. Top with the remaining lentil mixture and pour the other half of the plain tomato sauce over top.

Bake for 20 minutes, top with the mozzarella, then bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden on top. (If you have the time, waiting at least half an hour before cutting it makes it serve easier.)




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Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

We've been eating lentils quite a bit lately. While they have been a staple for some families for generations, I admit I did not know what to do with them aside from adding a handful into soup or tossing them into a stir fry. Lentils are quite versatile and have a meatiness to them. Full of protein and fiber, high in iron and folate, lentils are really cheap, too. Cooking dry lentils with a sauce gives them a rich flavour.

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce brings lentils to one of the kids' favourite pasta dishes. Tangy tomato sauce, chunky vegetables, garlic, basil and oregano.... We served ours over homemade whole wheat fettuccine but rice or gluten free pasta would have been great, too.

For eight servings:

1 1/2 cups dry lentils
4 cups water
16 oz unsalted tomato sauce, either canned or homemade
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt or lite salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 red onion, chopped (or a whole one if your kids like onions)
3 stalks celery
4 small carrots, chopped

Put the lentils, water, tomato sauce, olive oil and seasonings into the pan to simmer and added the other vegetables as you chop them. As for cooking time, it could take between half an hour to forty-five minutes, depending on the lentils. (The brown ones seem to take longer than the red ones.)

Enjoy!






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Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

"Super Really Good," said five year old G-man, when I asked how to describe Cheesy Lentils and Greens. While that endorsement makes me smile, I'll have to tell you myself that it is like a grown up mac'n'cheese. Minus the mac, with lentils and added bites of kale. Is it a side or an entree? Yes.


1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 small mushrooms, finely diced
1 bunch kale, ribs removed
1 cup grated cheddar

In a lidded saucepan (an Ultimate Pan if you have one) gently heat the lentils, water, milk, and salt to a low boil. Turn the heat down, put the lid on and simmer until the lentils are al dente, between twenty minutes to half an hour.

Meanwhile, finely chop the kale and mushrooms. Add them to the lentil mixture, and continue to simmer until the kale is softened.

Stir in the cheddar, then serve.

I shared this recipe with Fight back Friday and Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love,  Empty Your Archive (veggie collection),  Homestead Barn Hop,  Fat Tuesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop,  Gluten Free Wednesday,  Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday,  Thriving on Thursday and the HomeAcre Hop.

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Kale Paneer (gluten free)

Kale Paneer

Saag Paneer is a creamy, spicy dish of greens (saag) and homemade cheese (paneer). It was one of my favourites when dining out in college and a rarely seen delight here in the Midwest. The March 2013 issue of the Food Network Magazine had a recipe for Saag Paneer using fresh spinach. It looked really good, but I could not help but to adapt it to kale, simplify it, and tweak a few more ingredients. The result? Scrumptious. (And gone. Next time I'll double the greens so we have a few leftovers. ) For a really authentic experience, there is a great looking recipe for Naan (flatbread) at Plus Other Good Stuff.

This is not a spontaneous kind of dish but the homemade paneer can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days and brought out when you are ready to enjoy it.  Our version is as mild as you can possibly make a curry, so feel free to double (or triple!!) the coriander and cumin and even add hot peppers if your family likes a little heat.

Homemade Paneer  (about half a pound, recipe below)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour- wheat or rice (gluten free) for dredging
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp coriander, or more for a spicy dish
1/2 tsp cumin, or more for a spicy dish
1/4 tsp tumeric
(optional: chopped or dried chili, jalapeno, or other spicy pepper)
1 large bunch kale, stem removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp butter
1 tsp tapioca starch


Heat the oil on low to medium heat in a wok or ultimate pan. Cut the paneer into cubes, about three-quarters of an inch. Dredge them in the flour, then fry them until golden in the olive oil. Fish them out and set them aside.

In the same pan and oil, sautee the onion. Add the salt, and spices, then the kale and water. Cover the pan and simmer until it bubbles. Stir in the yogurt, butter and tapioca starch and cook, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about five minutes. Stir in the cheese cubes and cook just long enough to heat them back up.

Serve right away over rice, couscous, or quinoa.


Homemade Paneer 

1/2 gallon whole milk- (non-homogenized if you can get it)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp salt

Heat the milk up, stirring, until it just starts to bubble. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the salt, yogurt, and lemon juice.

After a few minutes, large curds will form. Strain the contents of your pot through a clean tea towel or handkerchief. (Not a terry towel.) The leftover whey can be used elsewhere, like for soup or bread. Gather up the corners of the cloth into a bag and gently squeeze out more of the whey. Either secure the end of a pouch with an elastic or tie a knot through the ends, and hang the bag over the pot with a wooden spoon. After ten minutes of dripping, you will have a delicious, lemon ricotta. Twist the bag again to get out more of the whey, then place it between two plates to compress. You won't be able to reshape it once it is hardened, so flatten it out an smooth the edges while it is still warm. Place a can over the top plate for weight, then stick it in the fridge for an hour to harden. Take it out of the tea towel an store in an airtight container.

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I shared this post with   Fight Back Friday,  Foodie Friends Friday,  Foodie Friday, the Homestead Barn Hop, Fat Tuesday, the Hearth and Soul Hop, Scratch Cookin' Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday,  Gluten Free Wednesdays,  Simple Lives Thursdays, Thriving on Thursdays and Empty Your Archive (veggie collection)

Kale, Almond, and Salted Apple Pizza (vegan option)

Kale, Almond and Salted Apple Pizza

Doesn't that look yummy? Who says that veggie pizzas have to be boring? We started with a whole wheat crust and topped it with finely chopped kale tossed with olive oil, shredded mozzarella cheese, lightly salted apple slices and almond slivers. G-man asked for the apples and the Cadet added the almonds. The salted apples added a naughty sweetness, while the almonds give a bit of crunch. (Great job, guys!)

Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil (more if you skip the cheese)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz shredded mozzarella (optional)
2 apples, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Prepare the pizza crust as directed. (Our quick, no-knead whole wheat pizza crust is super-easy.) Spray the top with olive oil and allow it to rise while you prepare the rest of the toppings.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a small bowl, mix the kale, quarter cup of olive oil, garlic, onion and salt with your hands. Spread the mixture over the pizza dough. Top with cheese (optional) Toss the sliced apples, and teaspoon of olive oil together in the bowl. Sprinkle with enough salt to cover the apples, then top the pizza with the apples, followed by the almond slices.

Bake for about 18 minutes, until the crust is golden on the bottom and the almonds and apples are slightly toasted. Enjoy!

[For a vegan pie, just skip the cheese altogether instead of using a cheese substitute. The texture and flavours of the greens, fruit and nuts, with hints of olive oil and garlic stand out on their own.]



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Veggie "Runza"/Bierock (vegan)

Veggie "Runza"

A Runza, trademarked by the Runza fast food chain, is also known as bierock or a pirozhki. To make a long description short, it is a bun with a filling baked right in. My mom's pirozhki were smaller and filled with potatoes and cheese; the fast food chain's version are sandwich-sized and stuffed with beef and cabbage. This one's stuffed with seasoned black beans, purple and green cabbage and shredded carrots. The boys loved them, and any trick to get them to eat more veggies and legumes is a good one, right?

I'll start this recipe filling-first to be truthful. You see, I was baking bread anyway and simply took a portion of dough out to make our Runzas. Any bread dough will do.

For eight generous sandwich pockets:


Black Bean and Cabbage Filling

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups black beans, pre-cooked or canned and well rinsed.
(If the beans are unsalted, add 1/2 tsp salt.)
1/4 cup chopped green onions1/2-1 tsp coriander, to taste
1-2 tsp chili powder, to taste ,
4 cups diced cabbage, purple, green, or a combination
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 tsp salt

In a lidded saucepan, gently warm the olive oil and onions. Add the beans and seasonings then stir until hot. Stir in the cabbage and carrots and the quarter teaspoon of salt. Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat off. The cabbage will soften as the mixture cools down enough to work with.

Take enough bread dough to make about a dozen rolls and divide it into eight portions. (If you don't have bread on the go, a recipe follows.) Roll the dough into balls and allow to rest for ten minutes.

Flour your board or counter top. Roll each ball into a round about ten inches in diameter. Flip each dough circle over so it does not stick to the board when you fill it.

Place an equal portion of filling onto each dough circle, keeping it on one half. At this point, you can either fold the circle over to make a moon-shaped pocket, or roll it up like a tootsie roll and tuck in the ends. Either way will work as long as you pinch all edges together well to make a seal.

Spray a little olive oil onto a cookie sheet. Place the Runzas/bierocks onto the sheet and make small steam vents on the top of each with a knife.

Allow the dough to rest for half an hour, then bake for about 18 minutes @365F.

Serve hot!

Thirty Minute Pizza (from scratch!)

Thirty Minute Pizza

Delivery pizza takes forty-five minutes. Homemade can take thirty. Delivered can cost twenty bucks a pie, including the tip. Homemade, even with high quality ingredients, costs a fraction of that. We typically have more choices for vegetable toppings than the local pizza joints.

Our secrets to a great pizza crust- crispy on the bottom yet tender and soft- without kneading or long proofing, are whole wheat flour and olive oil. (If you have only white flour, see this recipe.) Pans without holes in the bottom are essential.

While buying big blocks of cheese and grating it myself would save money, I wait for eight-ounce bags of grated cheese to go on sale so I can pop several in the freezer for occasions like pizza. In the summer, we make tomato sauce to freeze in eight-ounce containers. Small cans of plain tomato sauce also work in a pinch, so are useful to keep on hand.

For one large fourteen-inch pizza crust:

Hummus Enchiladas (gluten free, vegan)

Hummus Enchiladas (gluten free, vegan)

Creamy hummus and tangy kale stuffed into fresh corn tortillas, smothered with seasoned tomato sauce, and baked together. Hummus? Kale? Enchiladas? Blasphemy! (but yummy all the same.)

To save on time, the components- tortillas, sauce, and hummus- could be purchased. To reduce salt and food additives you can make them yourselves. That's how we roll. It will take at least an hour to get everything made and ready to bake. Thankfully, you can make most of it ahead and assemble the enchiladas as the oven is preheating.

Groovy Garden Sandwich (vegan)

 Groovy Garden Sandwich (vegan)

Sweet crunchy apples, salted almonds sautéed in olive oil, a hint of green onions, kale, and warm hummus all folded into a fresh flour tortilla. That's good. Really good, and I am hooked.

For four servings, or a serious meal for two:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4-1/2 tsp salt of your choice
2 crisp apples, cored and sliced (peeling is optional)
2 large or 4 medium kale leaves of kale
hummus (recipe follows)
Vegan flour tortillas or gluten free tortillas

Gently heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the green onion and almonds slices, stirring. As soon as the almonds brown, turn off the heat. Sprinkle with salt.Toss in the apple slices and kale to warm and coat with the oil.

Spread hummus onto four medium-sized, soft tortillas. Add a quarter of the mixture from the pan. Fold over and enjoy.

For fresh hummus, blend or mash these together:

2 cups cooked garbanzos/chick peas
1/2 cup tahini (or unsweetened peanut butter)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt (omit if you used canned garbanzos)
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves peeled, fresh garlic



I shared this post with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

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Quinoa with Veggies (vegan, gluten free)

Quinoa with Veggies (vegan, gluten free)

Quinoa and cabbage are great together. Add carrots for colour, celery for crunch, lightly sauté it all with sesame oil and aminos, and you have a hearty and delicious veggie meal. The Cadet tore into his bowl, bits aflyin', and G-man needed each bite to be assembled with at least one piece of celery. Quinoa and preschoolers can be a pretty messy combination but well worth the clean-up to have them eat lots of vegetables.

For four servings,

1 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 head cabbage, chopped
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a lidded sauce pan. (I use an "Ultimate" pan for just about everything.) Keep boiling for about five minutes, then put the cover on the pan and turn off the heat. Allow it to sit for fifteen minutes while you chop your vegetables.

In a sauté pan (or the same "Ultimate"pan,) pour the sesame oil and aminos. Stir in the quinoa until it is coated. Add the cabbage and cook for about five minutes. Turn off the heat and add the carrots, celery, and salt. Give everything a toss and serve it up.


I shared this recipe with  Monday Mania,  Meatless Mondays and Fat Tuesday.


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Sweet Potato Noodles with Apples, Almonds and Baby Kale (gluten free, milk free)

Sweet Potato Noodles with Apples, Almonds and Baby Kale (gluten free)

"No vegetables for me! I just want noodles!" Who hasn't had days like this? G-man and the Cadet are really good eaters most of the time, but last night I had to pull a Jedi Kitchen Trick. Take cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, add some masa harina, a wee bit of seasoning and an egg, and you've got a gluten-free noodle that is spiked with nutrition.

The boys gobbled theirs up plain, while Stealthy Dad and I enjoyed a more grown-up version: tossed with olive oil, apples, almonds and fresh baby kale from our garden. Either way, we had a great meal.


Sweet Potato Noodles

1 cup non-GMO masa harina
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes, cooled to room temperature
1 egg

Quinoa Cabbage Rolls (gluten free, vegan)

Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are kind of hard to describe. You have sweet, softened leaves of cabbage wrapping a filling, often rice or buckwheat. Since I had quinoa on hand, I thought, "why not?" That idea was a good one.

I stayed close to the recipe for Meatless Holubtsi in the Ukrainian Daughters' Cookbook,* that my Baba gave me years ago. While not difficult, cabbage rolls are time consuming because there are three steps: cooking the filling, making the rolls, and baking them. The good news is that it is a good "potluck" dish, so if you give yourself three hours 'til mealtime and have it done early, it is fine to keep warm in a covered casserole. You can also make it ahead, either at the pre-baked prepped stage or after baking and warm it up.

Rainbow Beans (vegan, gluten free)

Rainbow Beans with Gluten Free Cornbread

"Beans, beans are good for the heart..." Why, yes they are because they are full of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol because it absorbs it during digestion.  Regulating the speed of digestion can help stabilize blood sugar spikes and reduce metabolic syndrome, too. (For more on soluble fiber, see this article at Livestrong.)

"Beans, beans the economical fruit..." A pound of mixed beans will cost about $2, and even less if you buy in bulk. I confess that I like canned baked beans. I like them a lot, but they contain an awful lot of sugar and salt and most have that dreadful porkish thingie at the top. Making them yourself provides a healthy, inexpensive meal that can be as low in salt or sugar as you want it to be.

Rainbow Beans is what G-man calls the mixed soup beans. You have colourful lentils and beans in various shades and sizes. The result is a pot of beans with varied textures and a broader mix of amino acids.

For the basics:

1 lb mixed soup beans
6 cups cold water
8 oz unsalted tomato sauce
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp onion powder (or 1/4 cup chopped, sauteed onion)
1/2 tsp garlic
salt to taste

[optional: 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey. We can get away with leaving this out, then drizzling a bit of honey over the kids' plates.]

Look the beans over for impurities such as bits of gravel. Rinse the beans by covering them with water, giving them a gentle stir and pouring the water off.

Put the beans, water, molasses, and seasonings into the pot. Cook on "Low" for about 12 hours. Salt to taste, adding about a teaspoon at a time.

Notice that I did not soak them first? With the crock pot, cooking and soaking can be a combined step. You can leave for the day and come home to the aroma of fresh baked beans. 

I shared this post with Fight Back! Friday. 

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Fifteen Minute Mac 'n' Cheese Dinner (gluten free option)

Fifteen Minute Mac 'n' Cheese Dinner

"If I had a million dollars,
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would. We'd just eat more..."
      - Barenaked Ladies, If I had a Million Dollars

K.D. That's what we called the stuff in school. It was cheap, fast, and, well... fast. What if you could make real macaroni and cheese from scratch in the same time, or less? Our boys would eat this every day if we let them.

Gather up two pots- one to boil the pasta and one to make the sauce- a mixing spoon, a silicone-coated whisk, and a colander. Fetch these ingredients:

2 tbsp flour (sweet rice flour for gluten free*)
2 tbsp butter
2 cups milk (whole works best)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 12oz package of macaroni shells, elbows, or alphabets. Use gluten free if you wish.

Ready, set, GO!

Grilled Falafel (vegan, gluten free)

Grilled Falafel  in a Grilled Pita with Easy Coleslaw

Falafel could be the original "veggie burgers." A tradition from Middle Eastern cuisine, falafel are generally deep fried to give them a crispness outside while staying tender inside. You can achieve that on the grill, too, making this a fun burger for cook-outs. I adapted this falafel recipe to make it gluten and egg-free.

Our boys really enjoyed these. The Cadet helped mix the seasonings and blended chickpeas together. G-man, who often claims to dislike chickpeas, dug into the final product with enthusiasm. When the older brother exclaimed that he liked these "burgers," the little brother declared that he liked them too. Thumbs up!

Grilled Pizza

Grilled Pizza

Grilled pizza. That sounds kind of funny, but think about it for a minute: crisp on the bottom, slightly smokey, and a heck of a fun way to enjoy a kids' favorite without heating up the house with the oven. G-man and the Cadet love to help make pizza from scratch so we keep it simple; whole wheat flour makes a crust that is thin, crisp and easy to handle.

For a dozen, 6-inch round pizzas:

3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp garlic powder
olive oil
8 oz tomato sauce, either unsalted canned or home made
cheese of your choice, grated and at room temperature
toppings of your choice

Today's pizza went like this:

Find a chef's hat, optional.

Choose toppings wisely. (Have a grown-up chop them up.)

Mix water, sugar and yeast.

Stir flour and garlic powder together.

Mix the yeast and flour until a dough forms.

Divide dough into balls and coat with olive oil.

After about fifteen minutes, form the pizza crusts: Pour olive oil onto a cookie sheet. Dip a dough ball in the oil and flip it over. Smash the dough into rounds, thoroughly coating it them with oil. Arrange them on cookie sheets for transport to the grill.

Horse around a little.

(The boys had to watch the next part through a window since grills are for grown-ups:)

Place half a dozen dough circles on the hot grill, and close the lid. After a couple of minutes the crust will have risen and there will be grill marks. Flip them over. Top with sauce, cheese and any other toppings you like. 

Close the grill lid and bake until the cheese melts.