Testing a Pin--Green Onions

It's no secret to those around me that I have a bit of an addiction to that heaven-sent website, Pinterest.  I'm trying to get my mom interested, as there are a lot of things that I know would inspire her do or make things that she would find.  I'm jjust going to have to make time to teach her the joys of Pinterest! :)

Before my in-laws moved here at the end of last month, I wanted to learn some Korean recipes (my mother-in-law is Korean) to show that not only I can cook (and do it well!!), but also that the traditional recipes can be made gluten free and taste just as wonderful as it's gluten-laden counterparts.

One of the recipes I wanted to tackle was the green onion pancakes...it looked good, easy to make, and I knew that they would love it.  However, in the whirlwind that accompanies the purchase of a home, paperwork, me suddenly going in for surgery and a toddler--well, things fall to the wayside.  The pancakes were forgotten, and more "normal" meals were made since they were easy to do on the cuff.

After they went home to pack, I was going through my fridge for ingredients to make dinner when I ran across the poor, withered green onions I had bought to make those pancakes.  I almost threw them out.  But then I remembered a pin that I had seen earlier about green onions--and how to make them a perpetual crop just by putting the white ends (the green chopped off) in some water.  Wow!  Maybe I had been the only person who never knew this, but I quickly chopped off the withered greens and plunked those little bulbs in a glass of water on my window sill.  A few days later...

 And now a week later....

 

Ready for harvesting!! 

 

 

And according to the comments and other posters, this can be done over and over again!  Now to attempt the pancakes...and will update if the recipe works out!

Last Night's Menu--Cheesy Pork and Rice Casserole

This was a surprisingly WONDERFUL meal that was also fairly quick to make.  Not to mention, both of my guys--big and little--loved it!! I can definitely see this becoming a go to meal for us.  :)

I found this in one of my GF magazines, but had to make some adjustments since I didn't have what they used on hand.  So I'll let you know what I used.  It will turn out great!!

Cheesy Pork and Rice Casserole

1 can Progresso Chicken Enchilada Soup
3/4 c. water
1 pouch Uncle Bens Boil-In-A-Bag Brown Rice (about 3/4 c.)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
4 boneless porkchops, 1" thick
1 c. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an ungreased 9x9 baking dish, mix soup, rice, water, corn, and beans.  Place in pork chops and sink in a bit.  Top with cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until pork is done, and rice is tender. 

I served it with refried beans as well.  So good!!  Enjoy!!

Tales of a First Time Bread Machine User

Before going gluten-free, I must admit I was not much of a bread fan.  But as soon as I knew I couldn't have it anymore, I craved it constantly.  For the first month, I didn't touch bread, attempt to make it, or make any cakes/cookies/cupcakes.  Oh, I wanted them--looked at recipes, dreamed, and even went into a cupcake bakery to see if they carried gluten-free cupcakes (nope, they didn't...but I got Z a  mini cupcake since we were there, and he REALLY liked it!).

I decided to attempt a loaf of bread in my oven from a mix to see how it would turn out (and see if I was going to be able to enjoy gluten-free bread in the first place).  I was pleasantly surprised! I didn't eat it fast enough, tho, so it went bad before I could finish it.  Mostly because the GF breads are more moist, I found that they will mold faster when kept in a sealed bag and not eaten quickly.  Other differences that I found is that the bread is more dense and taste a bit eggy, but not unplesantly.  It has taken a bit of an adjustment, rewiring of my tastebud's expectations, but I really do like the GF bread.  And now, so does hubby!

Yesterday I decided that I needed to attempt my first loaf of bread in my bread machine--something that I purchased as soon as I went GF.  I had no idea what I needed in a bread machine, so I scoured Amazon.com and read all the reviews on all the different machines, finally settling on this one.  Why?  Because someone said that they had made GF bread in it and it had turned out great.  That's all it took, and the low price helped, too!*

So finally I started the process of making my own loaf of bread.  There are a TON of different recipes for GF bread flour mixes, but the one that I found that worked for me is this one (and I linked to where you can find it on amazon):
Bread Flour mix:
1 c. millet flour
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/2 c.potato starch (NOT flour)
1/2 c. tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch)

This makes three cups of mix, which translates to an average 1.5 lb loaf of bread (at least in my machine it did).

To make a loaf of white bread, I followed this recipe:
White Bread Loaf for bread machine:
1 1/4 c. 2% milk (room temperature)
1/4 c. grapeseed oil (or canola, depends on your taste)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
3 c. bread flour mixture
2 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
3 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active dry yeast

Wisk together the milk, oil, and eggs until it is frothy.  Pour into the bread pan.  Wisk together the bread flour mix, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt until well blended. Pour on top of the wet ingredients, but do not mix--pat the flour mix to the edges so the wet ingredients are covered.  Maxe a small well in the middle of the dry ingredients (but NOT all the way to the wet ingredients) and carefully pour the yeast into the well.  The yeast may NOT come in contact with the wet ingredients. Then close the lid of your machine, set the timer for 1.5 loaf and whatever crust color you prefer (I had medium), and let it go!  Here's how mine turned out!

SO GOOD!!  Hope yours turns out as wonderfully as mine did! Enjoy!

*These are my opinions, and I am not paid to tell you these things.  Just sharing my experiences with these different products!

My Favorite Gluten-Free Dish This Week: Polenta Pizza Casserole

When I first started on this gluten-free lifestyle, I was terrified that I was doomed to having boring or terrible tasting food.  But after doing more research, I realized that I was quite wrong.  Yes, there are foods that I can't eat anymore, but a lot of the things that can be substituted are just as good (if not better!).  The only down side for me is that there are a lot of dishes that use rice...and I do NOT like rice.  However, I am learning to ease that back into my diet and hopefully I won't mind too much soon.  :)

Today's dish is one of my main go-to dishes.  It's quick and easy, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand (or at least something to use in place of one thing or another).  Here it is...my recipe for Polenta Pizza Casserole!

Polenta Pizza Casserole

1-18oz roll of precooked polenta
2-3 Tbsp. water
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can mushrooms, drained*
1 can black olives, sliced and drained*
2c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crumble up polenta in a medium size microwave safe bowl.  Microwave the polenta for 20-30 seconds until it is warm and mashes more easily.  Add the 2-3 Tbsp of water, however much it takes to make a fairly smooth consistency (but still thick!).  Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and 1c. of the cheese.  Mix well.  Put polenta mixture into an 8x8 baking dish, and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!!

*Note: You can use whatever veggies or meat that you prefer.  We just seem to always have these ingredients on hand, as we do love our mushrooms and olives in our house!  I do want to try it with fresh spinach sometime...if you do, let me know how it is!

Smoothies, my new "soda"

Since our family is trying to have a healthier lifestyle, we have made the decision to cut soda out oaf our diet. It is something that I have done before; when I was pregnant, I pretty much drank nothing but water, and that was all I wanted. But as soon as I could have it again, I hopped right back on the soda bandwagon. Honestly, I drank more after I started it again, and almost completely stopped drinking water. Now, that is changing. I'm happy to say that I am down to one soda per day. :)

What has eased my sweet tooth craving for soda has been smoothies, and it has been a wonderful change!! We had picked up a bag of of Yoplait Smoothies at Costco a few weeks ago, and I had forgotten about them til I cleaned out the freezer the other day. On a whim, I decided to make a batch--figured it would be a nice treat in the 80 degree weather we are having, and I knew Z would enjoy it as well (plus it would help him with his teething--bonus!!). Out came the new blender, and I threw in some extra strawberries for good measure. So good!! Z was happy and feeling better with the cold drink, and my sweet tooth was very satisfied. It was super easy, too...just dump the packet of fruit in the blender, add milk, and give it a whirl! And now, I bought some fresh fruit to freeze myself to save some money making it on my own. :)

So, if you are looking to make one on your own without using a premade packet, then this is how to do it:
My Smoothie Recipe
1 banana, in pieces (frozen)
1 c. chopped strawberries (frozen)
1 c. blueberries (frozen)
1c.-1.5c. Milk (depending on preference--add more milk if you like it less thick)

Add fruit into a blender, pour in milk. Pulse blades until mostly smooth, and then blend for 45 seconds longer until completely smooth. Pour into glasses and enjoy!