Gluten Free Corned Venison

Okay so I have played with this recipe for the past 2 years and this version is the best ever!

Brine:

  • 1 gallon water, divided
  • 2 cups salt
  • 5 tsp instacure*
  • 3 tbl pickling spices
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 5 bay leaves crumbled
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves sliced

Pickling Spices:

  • 1 tbl whole allspice
  • 1 tbl whole mustard seed
  • 1 tbl coriander seeds
  • 1 tbl red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbl whole cloves
  • 1 tbl whole peppercorns

To prepare:

  1. Bring 4 cups of the water to a simmer and add the remainder of the brine ingredients. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Using either a large stockpot or a cooler, place your roasts in the bottom. I have successfully brined as many as 5 roast with just 1 recipe.
  3. Pour the brine solution on your roasts and add the remaining water.
  4. Make sure your roasts are completely covered by the brine. I usually use a big plate and set it on top to make sure the roasts are submerged fully.
  5. Store your pot in a fridge or if using a cooler you can use large resealable bags for your roast to brine in and pack them with ice.
  6. Now let them sit for 5-14 days but make sure you check them occasionally to keep them submerged and to mix up the brine spices.
  7. When ready to cook or freeze your roasts make sure you rinse them off first.

Cooking your roasts:

  • Rinse off your roast if you did not already
  • I love using my crockpot for this because I can let it cook all day and not worry about a thing.
  • Place your potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions in the bottom of your crockpot.
  • Place your roast on top of all the veggies.
  • Add enough chicken, beef broth or water to just cover the veggies. Don’t cover the meat, the steam will rise up and keep it plenty moist.
  • Now set your crockpot on low for 8-9 hrs.
  • Your meat should be really tender and just fall apart.
  • Now scoop up plenty of veggies with your yummy corned venison!

*instacure can be left out but your roast will be grey in color rather than pink like a corned beef is.

 

Sugar Free and Gluten Free Chocolate Snack

Like I said in my last post, I have cut sugar out of my diet. Fully supported by my ND! There is an awesome site that I love:http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com and she just happens to have some super chocolately recipes that don’t have any sugar in them. This one for Lara Bars is my newest chocolate obsession. My daughter with the super sweet tooth says it isn’t sweet enough but after 3 days of no sugar I think it tastes awesome and plenty sweet enough! Next time I am going to add some chunky almond butter. Yummers!!!

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1  1/3 cups pitted dates
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3-4 T cocoa powder (I use raw cocoa powder)
  • optional: a pinch of salt

Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor. Form into balls. It might help to put dough in a plastic bag and close the bag, then shape into a ball.

Some substitutions/additions that would be super yummy:

  • 1 tbl almond butter
  • mint extract instead of vanilla
  • almonds instead of walnuts
  • 1 tsp instant coffee to create a mocha flavor

 

My favorite oatmeal!

My newest obsession is my morning oatmeal. Yesterday was my 2nd day of cutting out sugar from my diet so I needed a substitution for my usual oats. This is the recipe I came up with:

1/2 cups GF old fashioned oats(cooked)
2 tbl of almond butter
1 banana sliced

Mix it all together if you like it chunky or throw it in you blender (food processor) if textures bother you and you need smooth oatmeal. This was so filling
! Usually around 10am my stomach is starting to growl. I actually didn’t even think of other food until 11:30am.

Easy and Fast Gluten Free Jambalaya

Chicken jambalaya recipe
Easy and Fast Gluten Free Jambalaya

My daughter just made this recipe for the first time and it was awesome! On Mondays I stay after school so my students can get some extra classroom time and I usually don’t get home until after 5pm. I am usually wiped from squeezing around 100 students into 4 hours in one afternoon. My daughters are great cooks so I take advantage of them being able to help out. Toni is thinking about going to school for Culinary Arts and if she keeps it up she will be an amazing chef. Here is her recipe:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chicken meat (white or dark), diced
1 package of gluten free smoked sausage, sliced
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups GF chicken broth (if using brown rice) or 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (if using white rice)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups uncooked white or brown rice
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | Servings: 6
1. Add cayenne pepper, Creole seasoning and onion powder to chicken and sausage. Saute over medium heat until browned.

2. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic and cook until vegetables are just tender. Add stock, tomatoes, rice, bay leaves, Worcestershire and bring to a boil.

3. Turn heat to low, cover pot with lid, and cook for 20 minutes (if using white rice) or 45-50 minutes (if using brown rice). Check near the end of cooking time and if the mixture seems dry, add more broth or water.

 

 

Creative Commons License photo credit: cookipediachef

Gluten Free Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

4 carrots, diced

1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms sliced

3 stalks of celery, sliced

1/2 cup Pamela’s pancake mix

6-8 cups vegetable stock

2 cups dry wild rice – cooked according to package directions

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups rice milk or milk

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, melt butter.
Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender.
Add carrots, mushrooms, and celery; cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in flour, then add vegetable stock, stirring for 5 minutes on high heat
Stir in the wild rice and spices
Reduce heat and stir in milk; cook until thoroughly heated.
Add parsley and serve.

Gorton’s Grilled Fish-Gluten Free

        I just found out that Gorton’s grilled fish are gluten free. Yummy and easy to prepare. The all natural fillets plus the grilled salmon are all gluten free. This would make a super simple meal in minutes or for those who are watching their calories, this would be an ideal protein for a meal. We continue to get quality gluten free items everyday in our grocery stores so keep your eyes peeled.

 

Cheapest place to buy Gluten Free Betty Crocker Cake Mix

Cheapest place to buy Gluten Free Betty Crocker Cake Mix-Locally

Last night I was shopping at Econo Foods and needed to replenish my back up cake mix supply. I grabbed a box of Betty Crocker’s Devil’s Food and one of Hodgson Mill’s Yellow Cake Mix. You might think this is odd but when I made marble cake for my daughter’s 3rd birthday I discovered something. Hodgson Mill’s yellow cake is extremely heavy and dense but when mixed right next to the chocolate mix Betty Crocker makes they both turn out lighter and moist. I am a bargain shopper and Hodgson Mill’s happens to be cheaper but I was quite disappointed in how dry the cake was. So now I can kinda have the best of both worlds. Hodgson Mill’s happens to be $4.09 and Betty Crocker is $4.19 at Econo Foods.

Now when I went to get dog food today at Walmart I needed some Lemishine for my dishwasher and decided to check out their price for GF Betty Crocker cake mix. I was surprised when it was $4.38! So here is another plug for Econo Foods and their Gluten Free efforts. Not only are they constantly expanding their selection but they are actually cheaper than Walmart! YEAH!!!!

Gluten Free Fries at Burger King!

Gluten Free Fries at Burger King

I am super excited to announce that our local BK is Burger Kingnow carrying gluten free french fries. The switch was made about a month ago, I am told. I called to confirm that they are no longer deep fried with their onion rings and chicken sandwiches. I was told that they have 2 friers dedicated for only french fries and the other 2 are for anything but french fries. So even though we don’t eat fast food too often, it is nice to know that we can swing through Burger King and the kids can enjoy their fries without feeling sick afterwards. That goes for this fry loving momma also!

 

Creative Commons Licensephoto credit: Håkan Dahlström

Gluten Free Cookie Exchange

I am so bummed that I won’t be able to make the cookie exchange in Iron River tonight. I am excited to finally have a local Gluten Free group but I wish they weren’t 45 minutes away from my house. Tonight they are planning a cookie exchange and I am at home with my feisty 2 year old while my older two girls are cheering. Go Norway!! I have 7 different kinds of goodies just waiting to be snacked on. Maybe next month’s meeting will fit into my schedule. Have fun ladies and gentlemen who are able to make it tonight.

Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free Eggnog

Dairy Free, Egg Free and Gluten Free Eggnog

After falling in love with the Silk Eggnog a friend of mine suggested I just try to make my own. I researched all the regular recipes that included eggs but I’m just not crazy about using 6-8 egg yokes in a drink. I would rather drink a few glasses of this without all the extra fat and cholesterol. Plus my husband’s heart will be thanking me. Like always make sure to check all of your ingredients assuring they are gluten free.

  • 2 cups of vanilla soy milk
  • 2 cups plain coconut milk*
  • 2 Tbl of Agave Nectar
  • 2 Tbl Brown Rice Syrup
  • 1 Tbl pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • pinch of cloves-optional but I love cloves

Pour the milks into a pitcher and add the remaining ingredients. Use a whisk to mix the spices thouroughly. Chill until ready to drink. Enjoy!!

 

*this is a personal preference. You can use all coconut milk(which I love but have a daughter who does not) Any dairy free milk can be substituted.