Beef and Rice Burritos

Some years ago I blogged about these rice burritos I grew up eating. Well today I have remade them from scratch so they are gluten free and I can still enjoy them too.


Beef and Rice Burritos (gluten free)
Rice dinner mix adapted from Plain Chicken

1 pound ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
2 Tbl chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbl butter
1 cup regular long grain rice
1/2 cup broken (gluten free) raw spaghetti pasta
14 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 Tbl diced canned carrots
2 1/2 cups (gf) beef broth
2 tsp beef better-than-bouillon paste
1 tsp onion powder
4 1/2 tsp (gf) Worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp (gf) soy sauce
1 Tbl chopped garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion, garlic salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside and keep warm. In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add broken pasta and rice. Cook until lightly brown. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed. Add cooked beef mixture and fill flour tortillas as desired.

the beef and rice mixture, ready to go

enjoy,
Rachelle

Cheesy Burger Macaroni Skillet Dish

Here's a dinner my family enjoyed, with no complaints! It's a take off the boxed dinners (we once ate many years ago) and now I can make it gluten free so I can still have that comfort food when I crave it. I love that this comes together in no time and that it cooks all in one skillet. Check it out in motion!


Cheesy Burger Macaroni Skillet Dish
adapted from Spend with Pennies

1 lb lean ground beef 1 onion, diced
1 TBL chopped garlic
1 cup beef broth
2 cups milk
1½ cups uncooked (gluten free) elbow macaroni noodles
3/4 cup frozen peas (optional)
1 TBL cornstarch
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, sugar and paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese

In a small bowl combine cornstarch, garlic powder, sugar, pepper, salt and paprika. Set aside.
Brown ground beef (I also S&P mine as it cooks), onion and chopped garlic in a large skillet until browned. Drain off fat. Add milk, broth, macaroni and peas to beef. Stir in cornstarch and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 12 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.

enjoy, 

Rachelle

Pimiento Cheese Spread

 Ahhh pimiento cheese spread! Remember that stuff from the little glass jars from like the 70s? That's what I grew up eating. We're not Southern so we never had the real deal. So this recipe came about while watching a food tv show, she made pimiento cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches and served with a homemade tomato soup. It sounded delicious so I decided to make it. I found four recipes and took something from each to combine them. As I was making it I realized it was very similar to my cheese ball recipe I've always made!

This is a versatile recipe, serve with crackers, veggies or do what I loved most...make a grilled cheese sandwich with it! I liked it best at a cool room temperature, it's easier to spread.

Pimiento Cheese Recipe 
adapted from Food Network, Southern Living, Deep South Dish and The Pioneer Woman

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 tsp. onion, finely grated
1/2 tsp. (gf) Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded
8 ounces Jack, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces, Sliced Pimientos, drained and diced

Combine all (except pimientos) and mix with a mixer until sooth. Stir in pimientos. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Use in celery sticks or make as grilled cheese sandwiches.

I grew up eating it in celery sticks. My kids loved these!

I used a gluten free bread for my sandwich, YUM!

 enjoy,

Cream Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Jalapeños

Everything is better made at home right? Shhh, I'd like to keep my job though lol. We make these yummies at work for you to take and bake and I thought I'd make them for my family at home. Mr. and I ate about the whole pan, they're that addicting! I baked them for 25 minutes and they were good, the cheese didn't melt out and the jalapeños were just slightly crunchy. You can go 5 more minutes if you want them softer. Don't waste those baked on little cheesy crunchies either, mmm!

Cream Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Jalapeños

6 slices bacon
12 medium-large fresh Jalapeños
8 oz brick cream cheese, cold (can use less fat one)
1/2 C. or so, cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook bacon in a hot skillet until just crispy. Drain and let cool. Once cooled, diced up finely, set aside.
Cut jalapeños in lengthwise, cut out seeds and membrane (or be daring and keep some in if you want spicy!).
With a sharp, wet knife, cut cream cheese into 12 even slices. Add a slice to each jalapeño half. Top with a little cheddar and a sprinkle of bacon. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake 350' for 25 minutes. Best served warm.

cold cream cheese & a wet knife make it easy to slice

easy to "fill"! 

ready to bake

nom nom! It's like two treats in one!

 enjoy,

Asparagus Ham and Swiss Egg Casserole

Baked eggs are a time saver as you're rushing around in the morning. You can add in your favorite veggies or meats to make them extra special. Throw these in the oven and get ready while they bake for about 30 minutes. These were another item I made for my Eggland's Best breakfast. I loved them so much, I made them again to have during the week for a quick breakfast, just warm in the microwave. They turn out fluffy and delicious.

Asparagus Ham and Swiss Egg Casserole
inspired from The Perfect Pantry and here
Serves 5-6

1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped asparagus
1/2 cup roughly chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup cooked chopped ham
8 large eggs
2 Tbsp nonfat milk
7 oz shredded swiss
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium skillet, saute asparagus in a little oil, butter or spray (or steam in a little water) until just tender. Set aside. Add mushrooms and a little spray, oil or butter and saute mushrooms until tender and golden.

Spray a 2.5 qt. glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the vegetables and ham in the dish, and allow them to cool slightly while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until slightly frothy. Add the milk, and whisk to combine. With a rubber spatula, stir in the shredded cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the casserole dish. Draw the spatula through the mixture to bring some of the vegetables to the surface.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes, until the eggs are puffy. Serve hot, warm or cold.

I ran out of non stick spray this time, parchment worked fine

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enjoy,

Grilled Steak and Cheese Sandwiches

I have been craving these since I went gluten free and can no longer eat at our cheese steak shop, so I finally decided to try my GF dinner roll recipe as a hoagie. It worked great! Mr. loved these and still talks about them. We happened to have a friend over so he was lucky to get one too, he loved it. Warm soft rolls full of delicious grilled steak, onions and peppers with melty gooey cheese....you know you want some!

Grilled Steak and Cheese Sandwiches
adapted from BHG

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce (Tamari for gluten free)
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (be sure it's gluten free)
Ground black pepper
1 large sweet vidalia onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
2-3 bell peppers, sliced
1 1/2 pounds beef steak, sliced thinly (I used our fave trip tip steak)
3 slices Provolone cheese, divided
3 slices Mozzarella cheese, divided
3 slices American cheese, divided
6 soft hoagie rolls (gluten free recipe here)

Combine oil, the vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Divide marinade in half, in large baggies or bowls, add half to the onions and peppers and the other half to the steak. Let it all  marinate for a few hours if you have time.

Heat grill on medium, using a smaller grill tray (so food does not fall through) grill the peppers and onions until softened slightly, remove and keep warm. Add steak and grill, tossing to cook it, takes just a few minutes. Remove, set aside. Discard marinade.

Turn on oven broiler.
Wrap each roll in a foil boat (it helps them stay put while in the oven and easier to serve and eat) place on baking sheet, add some peppers and onions and steak to each roll. Cut each cheese slice in half, add a half of each kind to each roll. Once each roll is assembled, place under broiler for cheese to melt. Enjoy!

fresh baked gluten free rolls, for me!

grilling peppers and onions

grilling the steak, grills fast!

assembly line

stuffed with steak, peppers and onions

melted cheese, ready to eat!

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enjoy,

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

There is a recipe blogged that my Husband likes for chicken enchiladas, but I was not in the mood to make gluten free cream of mushroom soup for it, so I decided to give these highly rated ones a try. So glad I did, because I loved the sauce on these. I went ahead and used some chicken and pork I had as leftovers, shredded and frozen for a later use, it came in handy! I wrapped a few up in my gluten free tortillas (liking Rudi's brand) and the rest in regular for them.

I served these with homemade Mexican rice, homemade slow cooker refried beans (to be linked) and gluten free cornbread.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas 
adapted from mexican.food.com

1 lb chicken breast, diced (could also use beef or pork)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, divided
8 flour tortillas, softened (8 inches each, gluten free blend)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (gluten free blend)
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth (gluten free)
1 cup light sour cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a fry pan, cook chicken and onion together in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is just done. Shred, combine with one can of green chilies. (I used some precooked chicken and pork I had frozen and shredded prior)
Divide cooked shredded chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.

Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and one can green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.

Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400' for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

These worked great!

gluten free rolled enchiladas, no breakage!

mexican rice, cornbread and beans

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enjoy,

Grilled Ham and Cheese Chicken Burgers with Roasted Potato Fries

Winner winner chicken dinner! I came across these burgers and decided to give them a go, such easy ingredients! Since these are soft tender patties, I chilled mine for a few hours to help them firm up (could also freeze them) and cooked them on my grill grate tray thing (see photo) so they'd hold up a little better. The ham and parmesan cheeses were really good in these. We all enjoyed them and will definitely keep in our files.


Grilled Ham and Cheese Chicken Burgers 
slightly adapted from Smoked 'n Grilled 

1 lb. ground chicken breast
1/2 cup cooked diced ham
2/3 cup Parmesan/Asiago cheese (shredded)
Salt & pepper to taste

 Mix all the ingredients together and form into 4 patties. Cover and chill for a few hours. Cook over a medium hot grill until just cooked through. About 8 to 10 minutes.

Add your favorite toppings and buns (we used lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo and white american cheese).

grilling!

I made myself gluten free buns (they're really flat but were great)

For the fries, I sliced Yukon gold potatoes in half lengthwise, tossed with a little oil, salt and pepper. Roasted in a 425' oven on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down for about 40 mins. They'll have crispy outsides and fluffy insides. My fave!

see the ham throughout the chicken patty

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enjoy,
Rachelle

Oven Tacos

Thought we'd give these oven tacos a try, something new. Actually the thought of having it half way assembled sounded pretty good, it's hard to fill a taco shell sometimes, especially little hands. This way the meat mixture and cheese is baked into the shell so spillage is eliminated. A bonus to these delicious tacos is the shell doesn't crack all over the place when eating either. I read in comments that some turned out soggy, but mine did not, I guess I let the meat mixture cook down a little more? The shells will be softer but not in a bad way. We loved them, the meat mixture was very good.


Oven Tacos
adapted from Blog Chef

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey/chicken)
1 small onion diced
1 small can diced green chilies
1 recipe for Homemade taco seasoning (below)
1 (8 ounce) can low sodium tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can fat free refried beans
2 cups shredded reduced fat Colby-jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells {if gluten free, be sure they are}

Optional Condiments-
Lettuce (shredded)
Tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Olives, sliced 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Return to pan, add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for a few minutes if mixture seems runny.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (OR check out The Taco Rack), standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through.
Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.

Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix all together. Store in an airtight container.
I used all of this on 2 lbs of ground meat with a little water mixed in.

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enjoy,

Asparagus Mushroom and Swiss Egg White Omelet

I saw this idea for breakfast in an ad for a bagel shop, so I thought I'd ditch the bagel for a healthier (for me) option. I love the flavors of this and omelets are a great way to eat your veggies in the morning. Yum!


Asparagus Mushroom and Swiss Egg White Omelet
serves 1

2 asparagus spears, sliced, steamed or sauteed
3 Tbl mushrooms, sliced, sauteed
oil, butter or spray (maybe 2 tsp for sauteing)
2 Tbl light swiss cheese, shredded
3 egg whites, mixed up
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet, saute asparagus in a little oil, butter or spray (or steam in a little water) until just tender. Set aside. Add mushrooms and a little spray, oil or butter and saute mushrooms until tender and golden. Set aside.
In the same skillet on low heat, spray pan and add egg whites, season with salt and pepper. Once the egg starts to set, add the veggies and cheese. Once cheese is lightly melted, it's ready to serve.




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enjoy,

Mexican Stuffed Shells

I finally found some gluten free pasta shells, so I kept them in mind until I knew which recipe I wanted them for. When I saw this version of stuffed shells, I knew it was it. Mexican food always goes over well for all of us. I'm glad I found this recipe because it was a hit. I could eat the meat and cheese mixture by itself, Mmm.


Mexican Stuffed Shells
adapted from The Way To His Heart

1 lb. ground turkey
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning (or 2 Tbl of our fave homemade version)
4 oz. low fat cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells (can use gluten free)
2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup taco sauce (see here)
2 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
4 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°.
Pour 1 1/2 cups salsa on bottom of a sprayed 9×13 baking dish, set aside.
In a frying pan cook ground turkey; add taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup water to bring it all together. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa 1/4 cup shredded cheese, blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground turkey is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells open side up into prepared dish.

Stuff each shell with the meat mixture (a good heaping tablespoon amount). Cover shells with taco sauce, cheese and green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil last 5 minutes to brown up a little.
Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa and olives.

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enjoy,