Chicken Tetrazzini

I tried another recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  This time I made one of their recipe makeovers for Chicken Tetrazzini.  It was featured in their January issue.  It is so good and creamy! 
 

Chicken Tetrazzini - Click here to link to the recipe. 

Chili's

 

We went out to dinner this week at Chili's.  My husband had seen advertisements for their new fresh mex menu and wanted to check it out.  He was especially interested in the fresh mex bowls.  Before we went,  we looked up their online allergen menu.

To find the menu, go to their website at www.chilis.com.  On the left hand side of the page, click on MENU.  Then scroll down to the bottom left until you see Download Fact Sheets.  Click on the option for Chilis Allergen (pdf).  Lucky for us, egg allergies is the first page.    If you have multiple allergies, you will have to make sure what you want to order is on each list.

So, my husband ordered the chicken chipotle fresh mex bowl without the corn salsa and without the tortilla strips.  He had them add some guacamole.  I am so glad they had this information online because we eat tortilla chips and all kinds of salsa which normally do not have any egg and wouldn't have thought to ask for those items to be taken off.  We figured out that the tortilla strips must be fried in the same oil as other foods with egg in them.  I had the corn salsa on my salad and I think it may have had a very light coating of some kind of dressing containing egg in it.  We also had the skillet queso appetizer and my  husband had his with flour tortillas.  I wish they had more options for my husband on their menu, but he very much enjoyed his dinner and we were able to order stress free.  

Other restaurants with online allergen menus can be found here.

Ham and Beans {Slow-cooker}

Winter is almost over and Spring is upon us.  So, I thought I would post one more cozy winter recipe in our last few days of winter.  I make my recipe for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans (EF, DF, GF) often.  One of the times I was picking up dried pinto beans at the grocery store, I noticed a dried bag of bean medley.  This mixture of dried beans intrigued me.  I wanted to find something delicious to make with them that would expose my family to some legumes we don't regularly eat.  When my husband saw the bag laid out on my counter, he was skeptical.  But he really enjoyed the end result as did the kids, especially when it was served with Honey Wheat Cornbread (EF, DF).

We enjoyed this recipe so much.  I think I will use leftover Easter ham to make it again soon!

Ham and Beans {Slow Cooker}

6 c water for soaking

6 c water for cooking

4 cups ham, chopped

1 lb dried beans*

1 lg sweet onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 t sea salt

1 t black pepper

The night before, rinse beans and discard any obviously shriveled and/or discolored beans.  Put in slow cooker with 6 cups of water.  Put on lid and soak the beans overnight. 

In the morning, drain soaking beans and re-rinse.  Put beans back into the slow-cooker.  Peel onion leaving it whole and place in the beans.  Do not chop or slice the onion.  This allows you to remove it after cooking but still benefit from the flavor.  Add 6 cups of water for cooking, ham, minced garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook beans on high for 8 hours.  Serve with cornbread.  

*I used a bean medley and we loved it!  It had dried great northern beans, pinto beans, green split pea, small red bean, baby lima bean, light red kidney beans, small white beans, black eye peas, pink beans, lentils, yellow split peas, large lima beans, black beans, dark red kidney beans and garbanzo beans.

Gluten-free notes:  If you have a gluten allergy, double check your ham ingredients to make sure they do not contain gluten.

Main dish – serves 4-6

Chocolate Pudding Pie

One of my good friend's family always has chocolate pie for Christmas.  I have often been visiting her when they were enjoying the leftovers.  It always looks so delicious.  I have often thought it would be good pie to make egg-free, since the chocolate could easily be made with an egg-free pudding like mixture. 

I recently came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try, especially since it was already egg-free.  I also had every intention to make the crust in the recipe.  In my attempt to half the crust recipe, I halved part of the ingredients and not others.  Fail.  I was then out of butter.  So, rather than take a trip to the store.  I made one of my old stand-by shortening crust recipes, which happened to be quicker crust recipe.  The butter crust in the recipe is a little more involved. 

Regardless, of which crust you use, this pie is delicious!  We will for sure be having it again.  I think I may make it a Christmas tradition at my house.  I could even make a gluten-free crust-less version for my brother-in-law. 

 

My pictures do not do this pie justice.  Look at the pictures in the link!

Chocolate Pudding Pie - Click to link to recipe. 

Gluten-free Notes:  The filling in this recipe could easily be made gluten-free.  Just make sure you are using a gluten-free vanilla and bittersweet chocolate.  Then put the filling in your favorite gluten-free crust or make it crust-less!

Teriyaki Salmon

This is the same marinade used in my recipe for Teriyaki Chicken (EF, DF, GF) posted in 2012.  I have been making both for years.  It is such an easy and delicious recipe.  The kids actually really like this recipe.  I usually like to serve the salmon with rice or couscous and a steamed or roasted vegetable.

Teriyaki Salmon

 

¾ c reduced-sodium soy sauce*

¼ c vegetable oil              

3 T brown sugar

1 t garlic powder

½ t ground ginger

1 ½ - 2 pounds salmon filet

In a large plastic bag, combine the first five ingredients.  Mix well.  Place salmon in bag and seal.  Refrigerate for several hours. 

Oven Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425^o.  Place on a foil-lined 15”x10”x1” baking pan.  Bake, uncovered in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

* For those on a gluten-free diet, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.

Serves 6-8

Taco Chili {Slow-cooker}

It doesn't get much easier than this recipe!  I love it because it works well on a day when I am running low on fresh produce.  I can pull the meat out of the freezer and almost all of the other ingredients out of the pantry.  It is also nice to put this on in the morning and have a nice hot meal at the end of a long cold day.  I thought I better share this before our cooler days come to an end, soon I hope!

The taco chili pictured below was actually made with one pound of lean ground beef and one pound of venison.  Our neighbor gave us several pounds of ground venison.  My kids didn't even notice anything different in the chili.  Chili has so much flavor, it is a great way to feed your family wild game without them even knowing the difference.

This recipe goes great with Cornbread (EF, DF) or Honey Wheat Cornbread (EF, DF).  If you like this recipe, you may also like Chicken Taco Chili {Slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF).

Taco Chili

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 lg onion, chopped

2 (14oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (10oz) can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 (15oz) can chili beans, undrained

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14oz) can corn, drained

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg chili seasoning

Brown meat and onion together.  Drain.  Place in slow cooker and add all other ingredients.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Top with shredded cheese and serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Serves 8-10