Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This is what I serve people when they say they don't like sprouts. Haven't received a complaint, yet.
Adapted slightly from here.



Serves 1.5
35 minutes
- large saucepan
- bowl
- laid out paper towels (for bacon)
Easy

INGREDIENTS
12 large Brussels sprouts
2 large shallots
5 garlic cloves
3 strips bacon
2 Tbsp. cooking sherry*
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

*Holland House cooking sherry is GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Remove ends form the Brussels sprouts; cut each in half through the 'stem'. Remove ends from the shallots and garlic; peel, then finely dice.
2. Spread Brussels sprouts around inside the pan with a little bit of water. Bring to a boil, let cook for about 2 minutes, then drain water (make sure you don't over-boil the sprouts). Remove Brussels sprouts; set them aside in a clean bowl. Now turn to the meat.
3. Rinse bacon, then place strips into the now-empty pan. Brown bacon over medium heat till just crispy-- about 5 minutes. Carefully move strips to some prepared paper towels to cool and wick away fat. Once cooled, tear meat into bite-sized pieces. Drain and discard all but 1 Tbsp. bacon grease.
4. Add the diced shallots and garlic to the retained grease (still in the pan). Saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
5. Add in the saved, partially cooked Brussels sprouts and the crispy bacon; cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure things don't burn. Once sprouts and garlic are somewhat toasted, pour in the sherry and balsamic vinegar. Cook till liquids are somewhat reduced, coating the veggies. Shouldn't take longer then a minute or two for vinegar to thicken.
Serve warm.

Sweet and Tangy Green Beans

Wasn't sure for awhile whether to post this one or not. It was almost too sweet for green beans, but the flavor of the bacon was fantastic (especially if you enjoy balsamic vinegar)! The meat ends up coated with a nice smokey, tangy, slightly-sweet glaze. I would recommend playing around with the sugar/Balsamic/Worcestershire ratio to suite your tastes.



Serves 1
30 minutes
- large saucepan
Easy

INGREDIENTS
2 large shallots
1/2 lb. green beans
1/2 lb. yellow wax beans
2 medium red potatoes
3-4 strips thick cut bacon
2 tsp, Worcestershire sauce*
1/8 c. brown sugar (3 Tbsp)
splash (~1 tsp?) of balsamic vinegar*
salt and pepper

*Lee and Perrins original Worcestershire sauce is GF; I use an old bottle of Albertson's brand balsamic vinegar that must be GF cause I haven't gotten sick from it

DIRECTIONS
1. Peel and slice up shallots; don't chop too small. Cut ends off of green and wax beans. Cut potatoes into long pieces (think french fry)... aim to get them about as thick as the green beans.
2. Tear bacon into bite size pieces. Place bacon in the large saucepan with half of the chopped shallots. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, turning bacon frequently.
3. Add in potatoes, green and yellow beans. Cook for another 5 minutes. Be sure to stir things frequently to avoid burning.
4. Turn heat up to medium-high. Add in rest of shallots plus the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Mix well. The sugar will begin to caramelize-- caution, it gets very very hot.
5. Cook long enough over medium heat to nicely toast the meat and vegetables. Will take another 3-5 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Gently (will be hot!) taste a potato once the sugar/vinegar starts to thicken. Further season with a little salt and pepper. Dish is done when the potatoes are soft and the beans are crisp tender.

Eggplant Stir-Fry

Eggplant with red onion, zucchini and fresh basil/garlic infused olive oil. I enjoyed this over GF pasta. Sweating the eggplant takes some extra prep time, but it's worth it for a bitter-free 'meaty' dish.



Serves 2
30 min eggplant sweating + 25 minutes cooking
- large saucepan or wok
Easy

INGREDIENTS
6 to 8 oz. pasta*, precooked -or- 1/2 cup white rice, precooked

1 large eggplant
table salt
4 cloves garlic
1 large zucchini
1 medium red onion
1 medium red bell pepper
handful of fresh basil
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 mozzarella cheese

*Tinkyada rice pasta is GF and is very very good

DIRECTIONS
0. Cook the pasta or rice according to instructions on package. Make sure the pasta/rice does not become mushy.
1. Wash and peel the eggplant. Cut into wide thin slices (2" wide, by 1" long, 1/2" thick). Sweat the eggplant for 30 minutes: lay eggplant out on a plate and generously coat slices with table salt. Once the slices become wilted and spongy, squeeze out the brown, bitter juices by hand (the eggplant will bruise alot, that is good). Wash sweated slices thoroughly to remove all of the excess salt. Lay eggplant aside.
2. Peel and dice up the garlic. Remove ends and cut zucchini diagonally into 1/2 inch thick rounds (ovals, actually). Peel and remove ends, then slice onion into thin disks (like onion rings). Remove core and cut the bell pepper into long thin slices. Wash and dice up the fresh basil.
3. Place eggplant into saucepan with the oil, diced garlic and half of the fresh basil. Heat over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Make sure garlic doesn't burn.
4. Add in the zucchini. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, frequently flipping the eggplant and zucchini slices over, as to not burn..
5. Add in the onion rings and bell pepper slices. Also throw in the remaining basil. Cook until onion slices have separated and are wilted-- so another 2-3 minutes. Zucchini and bell pepper should be crisp tender.
6. Remove veggies from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese. Spoon over rice or pasta.

Spicy Bok Choy and Broccoli Stir-Fry

More bok choy. It's really good with a spicy kick. I really liked the green onion taste in this dish. Makes a nice rice bowl.



Serves 2
30 minutes
- wok or large saucepan with deep sides
Easy

INGREDIENTS
1 large head broccoli
1 large red bell pepper
5 cloves garlic
1 to 1.5 inch piece fresh ginger
3 green onions, white and green parts separated
4 heads baby bok choy
1 + 1 Tbsp high heat oil -- I use peanut oil
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or adjust amount to suit your spiciness level)

about 2 cups cooked rice
[pan-fried firm tofu-- optional]

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash and cut the broccoli into large bite-sized pieces; leave some of the stem intact. Wash and slice the red bell pepper into long, thin strips. Peel and cut the ends off of the garlic (smash the cloves with a meat mallet for easy de-peeling/cutting). Cut the paper-y skin off of the fresh ginger root. Finely dice both the garlic and ginger. Separate the white and green parts of the green onion. Finely slice the white parts of the green onion, then dice. Collect the minced garlic, ginger and white green onion parts into a large pile. Leave the green leaves of the green onion as long 3 inch pieces. Wash and cut the tough ends off of the bok choy leaves; slice leaves into 1 inch long pieces. Likewise, separate the light green bok choy stalks from the dark green leaves.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. peanut oil over medium-high heat in the wok. Add in half of the garlic, ginger and diced white green onion pieces. Let the oil and spices saute for a minute.
3. When the oil is aromatic, add in the broccoli pieces. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add in the red bell pepper pieces. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Add in the remaining 1 Tbsp. peanut oil, minced garlic, ginger and white green onion. Also throw in the light green parts of the bok choy. Shake in some cayenne pepper; this stuff is hot, so be sure to taste the dish and adjust amount to desired spiciness. Stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Make sure to stir often, or else things will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
5. Throw in the green leafy parts of the bok choy. Mix well. Stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the green parts are wilted and the broccoli and light green bok choy stalks are crisp-tender.
6. At the very end, add in the long green green onion pieces. Stir to heat through. Serve alone, or tossed with spiced tofu or over cooked white rice (this will help reduce the dish's spiciness).

Green Beans and Yellow Squash with Sausage

Crisp-tender green beans with yellow summer squash, onions and juicy chunks of sausage. Fast and good. Probably a side dish, but it's also a quick, filling dinner for one.



25 minutes
- large saucepan with deep sides -or- a wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. green beans
2 large yellow summer squash
1 large white onion
1/2 lb. sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa sausage link)
[1 tsp. peanut oil-- optional]

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash and remove ends from the green beans and summer squash. Leave the green beans nice and long, but cut the squash into 1/2" thick slices. Halve (or even quarter) the slices if the circles are not bite-sized. Wash and peel onion. Slice the onion into this circles (as if you were making onion rings), then half each 'disk' into semicircles. Rise the sausage and cut it into 1.5" pieces. Quarter each piece lengthwise, so you have bite-sized 'links' of meat.
2. Place the green beans into the large saucepan with about 2 Tbsp. water. Boil the green beans over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to uniformly cook the beans.
3. Once the water has almost all boiled off, add in the sausage and yellow squash. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring well. You don't need any more water.. the squash will give some up.
4. Add in the onion slices and, if needed, the peanut oil. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry the veggies+meat for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir often, scraping the bottom of the saucepan-- you want the veggies to sizzle and brown, but not get burnt. Serve when the beans and zucchini are crisp-tender, the onions are wilted and sausage browned.

Spinach, Sausage and Potatoes

Another easy hearty side-dish. Spuds with garlic, sausage and spinach. Spice it up some with more black pepper or red pepper flakes.

Serves 2
40 minutes
- large saucepan or wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
10 to 15 small red boiler potatoes
1/2 lb. beef or pork sausage (I used half of a Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa Sausage link)
1 large shallot
5 cloves garlic
[1 Tbsp. fresh parsley- optional]
[1/2. Tbsp butter- optional]
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
dash black pepper &/or crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
1. Scrub and half the red potatoes. Place potato halves into the large saucepan. Peel and dice the shallot and garlic cloves. [Chop up parsley.] Wash the spinach and set it aside.
2. Rinse and slice the sausage into half inch slices. Half each slice.
3. Begin boiling potatoes in a quarter inch of water over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Let it boil for about 10 minutes (over medium heat), then add in the sausage. Continue boiling/simmering for another 5 minutes. Test a spud. If they are still hard and starchy, then add in a bit more water and boil for another 3 to 5 minutes. Don't let the potatoes get too soggy (so no more than 20 minutes, tops).
4. When water is about to evaporate, add in the diced shallot, garlic, [and parsley]. Stir to coat.
5. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the potatoes sizzle and brown a bit. If the sausage you use isn't greasy enough, add in .5 Tbsp butter. Flip the spuds every minute or so-- you don't want them to burn badly.
6. Once they've sauteed for about 5 minutes, add in the spinach leaves. Stir till wilted. Let the dish saute for an additional minute or two then remove from heat and serve.

Spicy Sweet Bell Peppers (w/Beef)

A zesty, tasty beef fajita filling. The yellow bell peppers help tone down the heat of 2 large jalapeños. This was even better the next day inside a tortilla with melted colby jack cheese.
It's still satisfying to throw a few fresh things into a pan (without need of any GF 'substitutes') and get something good.



Serves 2 easily
40 minutes
- large saucepan with deep sides or a wok
Easy

INGREDIENTS
2 large jalapeños
3 cloves garlic
1 large sweet yellow onion
1 large red bell pepper
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper
small bundle of fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 pound beef steak (I used pre-cut stew meat because it was way cheaper than New York Strip)
1 tsp. Chili powder*
1 tsp. ground cumin*
sea salt + pepper*
1 tsp. corn oil

*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Cut tops off of the jalapeños and remove the seeds. Finely dice the chilis. Peel the garlic and finely dice. Set garlic and jalapeños aside. Peel the yellow onion; cut into quarter inch thick disks (as if you were making thin onion rings). Cut tops off of both of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Cut them in half first, then slice into quarter inch thick pieces. Cut the long pieces in half once to make them more manageable. Wash and chop the cilantro leaves.
2. Rinse off the meat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place them into the large saucepan and partially fill with water (no more than 1/2" deep in the pan). Simmer uncovered over medium heat, stirring meat occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
3. When the water is all but boiled off, add in the diced jalapeños and garlic, plus another 1/4 c. water. Stir in the chili powder, ground cumin and a dash of salt + pepper. Cook meat for another 5 minutes; it should be nearing done-ness by the end (juices running clear).
4. Pour in the corn oil right before all of the water boils off. Add in the onion rings, red bell pepper and yellow/orange bell pepper. Stir to coat the pieces with oil. Continue to cook the entire dish until the peppers are about crisp-tender and the onion has just 'wilted' (should take around 5 minutes). Things shouldn't be burning if left unattened, yet.
5. Add in the chopped cilantro leaves and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir fry the meat and veggies for about 3 minutes, or long enough for the onion to become translucent and the peppers to brown and soften a little.
Serve inside GF rice tortillas or over a little bit of white (perhaps brown??) rice.

Asparagus Fried Rice

More fried rice, this one with an Italian twist; not Asian. A nice change from my normal egg-and-soy-sauce fried rice. I think refrigerating the pre-steamed rice overnight helped make this super not soggy. Very easy.



Serves 1-2
25 minutes
-large saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups pre-cooked long grain white rice (I used a rice-cooker and placed the rice in the fridge to chill)
10 asparagus stalks
1/4 c. water
1/2 of a large red onion
1 large red bell pepper
1 + 1 Tbsp olive oil
Oregano and basil.

DIRECTIONS
0. Precook the white rice in another pot (or rice cooker), use a little less water than normal. Place cooked rice into the fridge to chill (overnight works best, but a few hours is fine).
1. Break off tough bottoms of each asparagus stalk, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Place cut asparagus into large saucepan. Add in 1/4 cup water (just enough to wet the asparagus pieces). Bring asparagus to a boil for 5 minutes (start-up included).
3. Peel and coarsely dice the red onion. Rinse and deseed the red bell pepper, then cut into small-ish 1/2 inch squares.
4. Once the water in the saucepan has diminished significantly (around the 5 minute mark), add the onion and red bell pepper to the asparagus. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-high.
5. Let the remaining water boil off completely, then add in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Stir. Sprinkle generously with dried oregano and basil leaves, to taste. [Use fresh leaves if you have them!].
6. Saute the asparagus, bell pepper and onion for 5 more minutes, browning the veggies.
7. Once they are nice and browned, add in the chilled, cooked white rice. Break up any rice clumps and add in another Tbsp. of olive oil. Stir-fry the rice (with veggies) for an additional 3-5 minutes, tanning it, too.
Serve warm.

Sausage-Spinach Penne

A quick, hot, pasta dinner. The spinach/tomatoes make a grand combination. The sausage in this makes it a little on the greasy side, but it's not overpowering-- drain some if you wish before you add in the veggies. I like this spiced up with ample ground black pepper. Coat with cheese if you can handle dairy, but I leave it off and the dish doesn't lack too much.



Serves 3
20 minutes
-medium pot
-large saucepan or wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
5 oz of uncooked Tinkyada brown rice Penne pasta (little less than half of a bag)

6 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh spinach
10 cherry tomatoes
5 Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage hotdogs (or half of the large Hillshire Farms sausage link)
[1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese-- optional]
Enough ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Place pasta into the medium pot. Fill pot with water such that it covers the pasta by about an inch. Bring pasta to a rolling boil over high heat, then turn down to medium-high heat; boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When pasta is al dente (barely tender, not yet soggy), rinse and drain cooked pasta with cold water. Set aside.
2. While has begun cooking, prepare veggies: Wash and peel garlic. Dice into small pieces. Rinse off spinach leaves, removing long stems. Half cherry tomatoes down the center.
3. Now cut the sausage hot dogs into half inch slices (if using the larger sausage link, half each slice). Place cut sausage into the large wok or saucepan. Begin cooking over medium-high heat. 4. Cook sausage for 2 minutes, then add in diced garlic. Cook garlic and sausage for an additional 1 to 2 minutes-- you want the sausage the brown a little. Drain excess grease at this point, if you desire, leaving around 2 tbsp still in the pan.
5. Turn the heat down to medium. Throw in the spinach. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring and tossing frequently. The spinach will quickly wilt and 'shrink' in size (it looks like alot at first).
6. Now add in the cut cherry tomatoes. Cook for another 1 minute, then throw in the prepared cooked penne pasta. Heat tomatoes and pasta for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the tomatoes begin to break down. DON'T overcook the tomatoes.. you want them whole, but tender, with their skins about to come off. The pasta will be warm enough.
7. When the tomatoes and pasta are soft, but not yet soggy, remove dish from heat. [Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss to coat.] Serve warm.

Thai Fried Rice

I feel cheeky for posting another fried rice recipe, since I already have one here. I've been trying to capture more of an Asian taste with my fried rice and I think I've found the missing ingredient: fish sauce. A few drops of Thai Kitchen's Fish Sauce (GF) and a squeeze of fresh lime juice really makes this fried rice tasty. I'll also describe a better way to soften the white rice so you can cook it all on the same day. Plus, this is cooked over HIGH heat, so the veggies and rice are 'crispier'.
So.. new and improved Fried Rice:




Serves 2
20 + 15 minutes
-large pot (without lid) for rice
-large saucepan or wok-- needs to be non-stick/well seasoned for HIGH heat
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
Rice:
3/4 c. uncooked white long grain rice
water

1 + 2 tbsp. peanut oil (-or- sesame oil).. HIGH heat oil

8 baby carrots, pre-peeled (-or 2- 'regular' carrots)
1/2 of a medium zucchini
1/2 of a medium yellow zucchini
1 medium white onion
1 cup sugar snap peas (-or- snow peas)
1 egg
1 tbsp. garlic powder
juice of one small lime
1 tsp. Thai Kitchen Fish sauce
2 tsp. soy sauce*
*LaChoy soy sauce is GF; I used Eden Organic Tamari Soy Sauce

DIRECTIONS
Rice:
1. Pour uncooked rice into a large pot. Add enough water into the pot such that it rises about 1/2 inch above the rice. Begin cooking rice over high heat. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn heat down to medium-low, but continue to simmer-- lid off (we want this rice to be dry and undercooked). Sir occasionally, watching the water level.
2. When water completely boils off (should take around 10 to 15 minutes, once you turn the heat down), quickly remove pot from heat and stir well. Rice should be slightly tender, but not at all mushy. Add in 1 tbsp. of peanut oil.. this keeps the grains from clumping (important!). Mix well and place rice aside to cool.
Rest:
3. Wash carrots (peel if need be) and carefully cut into 2 inch long matchsticks. Place carrots aside. Cut zucchini and yellow zucchini into 1/2 inch slices; half each slice. Coarsely chop up white onion. Bunch zucchini and onion together besides range (but not with the carrots). Wash snap peas and remove ends of the pods. Place peas alone beside the range.
-Also make sure the lime, fish sauce and soy sauce are right next to the range.-
4. Heat 2 tbsp. oil up into large saucepan or wok over HIGH heat-- must make sure veggies are cut and dried, or else things will burn!! Wait a minute for the oil to heat up (almost to the point of smoking), then throw in the carrot-- be careful, oil might splatter/spit. Stir carrot around in wok for a 1 minute.
5. Add in both zucchini and yellow zucchini. Keep stirring veggies around constantly for another minute. Add in the onion. Cook for an additional 1 minute, then add in the snap peas. Stir the entire combination for an additional 2-3 minutes... carefully taste a snap pea and zucchini to make sure they are crisp-tender.
6. Push veggies aside, making room, and break egg over the wok. Quickly scramble the egg and cook for a 1 minute. Stir cooked egg around till well mixed with the veggies.
7. Turn heat down to medium-high. Season all generously with garlic powder. Add in the oiled rice-- keep stirring! Squeeze lime over rice and veggies. Dash with fish sauce and sprinkle with soy sauce. Stir-fry rice until it's tan and tender (no more than 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat; serve warm.

Green Beans with Penne

Inspired by GF Mommy's "Vegetable Pesto Pasta", I wanted some of my own, however, I also needed to make the mild tomato pesto along with it. Unsure at first about potatoes with pasta, but this turned out just fine. Ground beef could be a welcome addition**; I just preferred vegetarian today. Here's my adaptation:



Serves 2
25 minutes
-medium pot to cook pasta
-wok or large saucepan
Easy

INGREDIENTS
1 c. uncooked Tinkyada Penne brown rice pasta (about 1/4th to 1/3rd of the bag)

1 + 2 tbsp. olive oil
3-5 large cloves of garlic
3/4 c. fresh green beans, ends removed
1 medium red potato
1 small zucchini (or half of a large one)
1 medium white onion
1-2 tbsp. dried basil leaves (use fresh leaves if you have them)
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 of a 14.5 oz can DelMonte finely diced tomatoes, drained

Parmesan cheese, for topping

DIRECTIONS
1. Begin cooking up pasta according to directions on the bag. Once al dente, rinse pasta several times with cold water. Drain, then stir in 1 tbsp of olive oil and set pasta aside.
2. Once the pasta has begun heating, begin cutting up veggies: peel and mince the garlic. Set the garlic into your large saucepan or wok. Add 2 tbsp. or olive oil to the garlic. Let it sit.
3. Wash and remove ends from the green beans. Snap the longer ones in half, so they will be about the same length as the penne noodles. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, don't bother peeling if you use red potatoes. Rinse the potatoes in cold water. Set prepared green beans and potatoes aside.
4. Cut the zucchini into thicker matchsticks, about 1.5 inches in length. Coarsely cut up the white onion. Set sliced zucchini and onions aside, apart from potatoes and green beans.
5. Once all veggies are prepared, begin cooking up the garlic/oil mixture in the wok over medium-low heat. Let the olive oil infuse with garlic... this only takes 3-5 minutes. Don't let the garlic pieces singe; heat them until they are a lovely light tan.
6. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the green beans and potatoes to your wok-- be careful, my potatoes were still wet and the oil spit alot. Fry the beans and potatoes for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, but not too often, so as the potatoes crisp a little.
-- by now your pasta should be done--
7. Add in the onion and zucchini slices. Season generously with basil and oregano leaves. Stir-fry the entire veggie-mixture for another 5 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
8. Turn heat back down to medium-low. Stir in cooked and drained penne noodles. Also drain the tomatoes and pour in ~ 1 cup of diced tomatoes. Mix well. Heat pasta and tomatoes through, but don't let the tomatoes start falling apart. Serve warm with garlic bread and a nice summer salad. Top with some Parmesan, if you wish.

** EDIT- I cooked up some ground beef and added it to my leftovers. It indeed tasted great!

Potato-Broccoli Skillet

Cayenne pepper gives these loaded hash browns a nice kick. I think a saucepan 'crisps' the potatoes better than the wok (not sure why). After I took this picture, I realized these would be great smothered in melted cheddar cheese. Leave out the meat and you have a hearty veggie side-dish.**



Serves 2
35 minutes
-large saucepan or skillet
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb beef steak, thin cut

2 medium-small red potatoes

1 large head of broccoli

1 medium white onion

1+1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tsp. garlic powder*

2 tsp. onion powder*

2 tsp. parsley flakes*

1/2 tsp. (or less) ground cayenne pepper*

fresh chives (optional), diced

cheddar cheese, for topping

*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut red potatoes into smaller, 1/2 inch cubes. Let them sit in cold water for 5 minutes, then rise and set aside.

2. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. Also chop up onion. Set aside.

3. Place beef into saucepan and brown both sides over medium heat (3-5 minutes). Cut into bit sized pieces.

4. Turn up heat to medium-high and add in potatoes and 1 tbsp. peanut oil. Season with generous portions of garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes and chives. Also add in desired amount of cayenne pepper. Stir to coat. Cook potatoes and meat for another 10 minutes.

5. Add in broccoli, onion and another 1 tbsp of peanut oil. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until broccoli are crisp tender and potatoes are golden. Potatoes should be cooked through, but onion and broccoli should still have a bit of a bite.

6. Remove from heat and smother with freshly grated cheddar cheese while still hot. Let the potatoes cool slightly, then serve warm as a light lunch or dinner side dish.

**Sorry if this is reminiscent of my "Silver Dollar Stir-fry", I just love potatoes and thought this had a different taste with out sausage and with the pepper.

Artichoke Fettuccine

I was inspired by Just Not Dinner's "Pasta with Artichoke Hearts" and decided I needed to enjoy some artichoke myself. This came out pretty well, I substituted bell pepper and zucchini in for the mushrooms and drizzled the cooked veggies with red wine vinegar. If you have GF Italian salad dressing on hand, that would add even more flavor. I think this is robust enough to serve as a vegetarian main dish.



Serves 2 (as a main dish)
45 minutes
-medium saucepan or pot
-large saucepan or wok
Easy

INGREDIENTS
1 inch diameter bundle of uncooked Tinkyada brown rice Fettuccine pasta noodles
water to cook pasta
dried basil (or fresh basil)
dried oregano (or fresh oregano)
1+2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow zucchini squash
1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium-small white onion (or half of a big one)
1 can of artichoke hearts (or frozen artichoke hearts*), without marinade
10 (around 5 oz.) cherry tomatoes, halved
splash of favorite Italian salad dressing -or- red wine or balsamic vinegar
*I used the 9 oz. box of Birds Eye frozen artichoke hearts; they seem to be GF (I have yet to react)

DIRECTIONS
1. Break fettuccine in half and place in medium saucepan. Cover noodles with water (~1.5 cups)and cook on high for 10 minutes, or until water comes to a rolling boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook till noodles are al dente (still slightly chewy in the middle, but pliable).
2. Remove noodles from heat and rise out three times with cold water. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to saucepan and stir till noodles are well coated. Sprinkle with dried basil and place noodles beside range. Let sit while preparing veggies.
3. Cut up washed yellow zucchini squash into 1/2 inch slices, then quarter each slice. Core and wash the green bell pepper and cut into 1/2 inch squares. Set aside.
4. Open &/or defrost artichoke hearts and rise thoroughly.
5. Coarsely cut the white onion. Set aside.
6. Wash cherry tomatoes and cut each one in half. Set aside.
7. Place yellow zucchini and bell pepper into large wok. Add in 2 tbsp. of olive oil and begin cooking veggies over medium-high heat. Season with more basil and oregano.
8. Stir-fry zucchini and bell pepper for 2-3 minutes, then add in artichoke hearts. Stir-fry veggies for another 5 minutes.
9. When artichoke hearts begin turning a darker shade of green, add in onions and stir-fry another 5 minutes. Add in a little more oil and herbs if desired.
10. Pour waiting, cooked fettuccine noodles into the wok and stir til they are limp and everything is well combined. Add in halved cherry tomatoes and heat through, around 2-3 minutes.
11. When tomatoes and pasta are tender, but not falling apart, remove from heat and sprinkle generously with Italian salad dressing (or red wine vinegar, something to go with the olive oil). Serve warm, maybe with Parmesan and a slice of GF garlic bread.

Silver Dollar Stir-fry

Every summer, before my sister and I hit high school, we would take a family trip to Silver Dollar City in Missouri. I remember chowing down on a bowl filled with potato-broccoli-sausage goulash from a food vendor who stir-fried the dish in a huge, 4' diameter iron skillet. This is my attempted at re-creating that hearty dish chopped full of fresh veggies and greasy sausage. Half of the time shown is spent cutting veggies.



Serves 2-3
40 minutes
-wok or a large large saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1-2 medium sized red potato (or a few smaller ones)
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium head of broccoli
1 medium zucchini
1 medium white or yellow onion
1 ear of fresh summer sweet corn kernels, cut off the cob (optional, in season)
1/2 to 3/4th of a 16 oz package Hillshire Farms pre-cooked Polska Kielbasa sausage*
salt and ground black pepper to taste
*This is currently GF. I believe I might have been mildly cross-contaminated on this product maybe once in the 1+ year I've been using it.

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash veggies and cut them as follows; keep them in separate piles. Wash and cut potato into 1/2th inch cubes. Peel carrots and slice into small-ish chunks. Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Cut zucchini into 1/2th inch thick slices, then chop slices up into 6th chunks. Cut onion up into coarse pieces. Remove husk from ear of corn, wash, and set aside.
2. Extract half of the long sausage link from wrapping (bag and keep remainder for another recipe). Cut sausage into 1/2 inch thick slices, then divide each slice again into 1/4ths. Rinse with water.
3. Place sausage pieces into wok and begin heating them over medium-high heat. Cook for around 3 minutes, or until sausage chunks begin to sizzle and slightly brown.
4. Add in potato cubes and carrot pieces. Stir-fry for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Add in broccoli and zucchini. Stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes.
6. Add in onion (and cut fresh corn). Stir-fry for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until onions are translucent and everything is heated through and flavored with sausage (the potatoes, broccoli and zucchini will be very tender). Serve hot, in deep bowls, maybe with some GF bread.

Teriyaki Green Beans

Crispy green beans and carrots cooked in a fragrant, spicy Teriyaki sauce. Could be served over white rice for a main dish or eaten without rice as a side dish. Make this vegetarian by replacing the ham with some diced red bell pepper.



Serves 2 or 3
45 minutes
-large saucepan or wok
-peeler
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
3-4 cold cut ham slices* (or 4 strips of thick-cut bacon); I used lunch meat cause I am in college
1 tbsp. peanut oil
1 medium yellow or white onion
2 large carrots, peeled, then diced fine or coarsely grated
1-2 c. fresh green beans, washed with ends removed
1 tsp. garlic powder*
pepper to taste
Teriyaki Sauce:**
3/4 c. to 1 c. water
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce*
1 tbsp. brown sugar
drop of honey
splash of soy sauce*
dash of dried ginger* (powdered)
*Oscar Mayer ham lunch meat is GF, McCormick spices are GF, Lea and Perrins Worcsh. sauce is GF, LaChoy soy sauce is GF

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut ham lunch meat into 1/2 inch squares and place in large saucepan or wok. Add 1 tbsp of peanut oil to meat. (If using bacon, you don't need to add oil!) Let sit.
2. Coarsely chop up onion and finely dice carrots into pieces.
3. Wash and remove ends from beans. Don't break in half, leave them long.
4. Finally, heat oil up in wok over medium heat and saute ham till it's slightly crispy (about 4-5 minutes). Add in chopped onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle ham and onions with garlic powder. (For bacon, cook till crispy, crumble up into bits, and remove excess oil.)
5. Dump carrots and green beans into wok. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Time for the sauce: pour water into wok till it half-way covers veggies (around 1 c.). Move veggies to one side, clearing a small pool of water.
7. Add Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Season further with a touch of honey, soy sauce and dried ginger (to suit your tastes). I didn't use too much ginger.
8. Move veggies around in sauce till they are half-submerged and turn heat up to high.
9. Cook, sauce boiling, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered. Add a touch more water if necessary, especially if you want more sauce in the final product.
10. The dish is done when the green beans are no longer tough, but not soggy, either.
11. Serve over fluffy white rice.
** This sauce would probably work well as an overnight marinade; add some fresh, crushed garlic instead of powder.

Garlic-Zucchini Spaghetti

There are a few side dishes I eat as a simple one-person dinner.. this is definitely one of them! Besides the garlic-y olive oil, there are no other spices to cover up the wonderful flavor of zucchini. I think this would go well with steak or lamb.



Serves 2 (or 4 as a side dish)
30 minutes
-large saucepan or WOK <--- buy one of these, I love mine
-sharp knife or mandolin slicer (I also love my mandolin slicer)
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 c. cooked Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti-- group the dry pasta together lengthwise; cook up amount you have encircled between your thumb and forefinger (about 1 inch diameter) Exact amount or type of pasta can vary.
1 + 2 tbsp. olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large yellow zucchini squash, thinly sliced
1 large white onion
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook up the pasta in a saucepan or pot according to directions on package. Taste regularly once cooking to make sure it's not getting over-cooked. You want it slightly al dente, but not too stiff.
2. Drain cooked pasta and wash it out three times with cold water (to get rid of rice goo). Return to small pot (NOT the wok) and stir in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Set pasta aside near range.
3. Wash, peel and mince up garlic. Place in the bottom of unheated wok or large saucepan
4. Thinly slice both green and yellow zucchini; the thinner the better.. I used a mandolin slicer that got those babies to around 1/8th inch thick.
5. Thinly slice onion into 1/4th inch thick O's. Cut flat O's in half once. Knife works for onion.
6. Set zucchini and onion aside next to range.
7. Pour about 2 tbsp. olive oil over the minced garlic and heat wok up over medium heat.
8. Saute garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until garlic just begins to turn golden.
9. Turn heat up to medium-high and add sliced zucchini, yellow squash and onion into wok.
10. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and zucchini just starts to 'wilt'.
11. Add oiled, cooked spaghetti into wok with veggies. Stir-fry an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
12. Remove from stove once spaghetti is fully cooked and heated through.
13. Mix or top with Parmesan cheese and a little black pepper. Serve hot.

Fried Rice

Fried rice is truly versatile.. use any meat and your favorite vegetables.
The secret to restaurant-style fried rice is keeping 'old' white rice and using an asian oil, such as sesame seed or peanut. Like for any stir-fry, cut up all vegetables before the wok is even hot.
*EDIT*: I improved my fried rice recipe and posted it. Use Thai Fried Rice if you have Fish sauce, high-heat oil, and a well-seasoned (non-stick) wok.



Serves 2
45 minutes
-large saucepan or wok
Easy

INGREDIENTS
1.5 c. pre-cooked (around 3/4 c. uncooked), chilled long-grain white rice (I used basmati)
Meat of choice (around 1/2 lb.): steak, chicken breast, pork chop, shrimp, tofu...
3 tbsp. peanut or sesame oil

Mirage of veggies (choose 3 to 6 of them), in order of cooking time:
water chestnuts? (never actually used these)
3 carrots, julienned
1 zucchini or yellow zucchini, sliced then chopped into quarters
1 head of broccoli
1/2 c. sno peas, ends removed
1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped, or several green onions
1/2 c. bean sprouts
1/4 c. frozen peas (NOT canned, I made that mistake before)
1/4 c. shredded cabbage or lettuce

1 tsp. garlic powder*
ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 tbsp. soy sauce*
*laChoy soy sauce is GF; all McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS
Night before:
1. Cook up 1/2 c. uncooked white rice according to directions on package, EXCEPT add a little less water than originally needed. Also cut the cooking time short by around 5 minutes. This keeps the rice undercooked and not mushy. Stir cooked rice, then place in refrigerator to chill overnight.
Day of:
1. Wash and cut up all veggies into bite-sizes pieces, but not too small. Set aside near range.
2. Place meat into wok, add 1 tbsp oil and spread around sides. Cook meat fully over medium heat; shouldn't take longer than 8 minutes. Cut up into bite-sized pieces.
3. Place longest cooking vegetables into wok (chestnuts, carrots, zucchini) and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in next couple of veggies (broccoli, sno peas, onion), along with 1 tbsp. more oil. Stir fry another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in remaining veggies (sprouts, frozen peas, cabbage) and stir-fry another 2-3 minutes. Season veggies with garlic powder and ground pepper.
6. Pull 'old' rice out of fridge and pour remaining 1 tbsp. oil into rice. Stir till well coated.
7. Pour oiled rice into hot veggie/meat filled wok. Stir well.
8. Stir-fry entire mixture for 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
9. Push the rice mixture over to the side to make room for the egg. Break egg, and place onto cleared section of wok. Scramble egg by stirring in wok, until cooked.. it won't take longer than 1 minute.
10. Stir scrambled egg in with rest of rice and add soy sauce to mixture. Stir well and remove from heat. Serve hot. Good as a side dish to chicken or as a main dish.

Green Beans and Bacon

No need for oil here... crisp green beans and tender potatoes flavored with bacon. Good for a quick meal or side dish to steak or turkey.

Serves 2 or 4 (as a side dish)

30 min.
-large saucepan or wok
-baster or paper towels to remove excess oil + old tin can for easy disposal
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 medium white onion
1 1/2 c. fresh green beans, washed with ends removed
3 medium-small red potatoes-- these are way more tender than russets!
8-10 slices of bacon*
*Oscar Mayer bacon is GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop onion up into coarse bits.. not too small.
2. Wash and remove ends from FRESH green beans. Please don't use canned.
3. Cut potatoes up into 3/4 inch cubes (as you would for stew).. again, not too small. Be lazy.
4. Wash off bacon and place into a large saucepan, or if you have one, a wok.
5. Cook bacon over medium heat until bacon just begins to turn crispy; about 4-5 minutes. Using a baster, remove excess oil into a tin can until only about 1 tbsp. remains. If you don't have a baster, carefully tilt your pan and place a few wadded up paper towels in to absorb up the grease.
6. Turn up heat to medium-high and add coarsely chopped onions, red potatoes and green beans into the wok. Be careful of hot oil splattering if veggies are damp.
7. Stir-fry veggies until green beans are crisp-tender and potatoes are soft; 10 minutes. Leave in longer, around 15 minutes, for veggies to slightly fry and turn a wonderful golden brown.