Egg and Sausage Casserole

This year I thought I would try to come up with some fun foods to eat for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Since most of us can eat eggs, I decided to work on a dairy-free egg casserole.  (My sister-in-law also put in a request for something sweet with cinnamon, but I'm still working on that recipe.)  I think the breakfast sausage gives the egg casserole lots of flavor, even without the usual cheese sprinkled on top.  To make the casserole wheat-free and dairy-free, I used gluten-free bread and almond milk.  We'll see what the rest of our family thinks, but Michael and I found it quite yummy.

One important thing to note is that you need to start this casserole about 24 hours ahead of time.  The bread needs to soak in the egg mixture overnight for it to turn out as egg casserole perfection.  If you don't have 12 eggs, you could try using 10 eggs and 1 cup of almond milk, or 8 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of almond milk. 

Egg and Sausage Casserole
serves 10 to 12 people

Ingredients:

• 12 to 16 oz. breakfast sausage.  Jones All Natural original pork sausage and Jimmy Dean All-Natural regular pork sausage are the two brands I have found that are free of wheat, corn, dairy, and soy.
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk.  (Not vanilla-flavor!)  I prefer Blue Diamond Almond Breeze original.
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 6 slices of Ener-G tapioca loaf.  Or if you cannot find the tapioca loaf, use 5 or 6 slices of Ener-G brown rice or white rice loaf, depending on how many are needed to cover the bottom of the pan.  (The tapioca loaf slices are cut thinner.)

Instructions:  

The morning before you want to serve the casserole, take the tube of breakfast sausage out of the freezer to let it defrost in the refrigerator.  Then the evening before, cook the sausage over medium-heat in a large frying pan for about 10 minutes, breaking the sausage up into small pieces and stirring frequently, until the sausage is cooked and has begun to brown.  

Whisk together the eggs, almond milk, oregano, basil, ground mustard, sea salt, onion powder, and black pepper.  Cut the slices of bread into 1/2-inch cubes.  Liberally grease a 9x13 Pyrex pan with canola oil or olive oil.  Sprinkle the bread cubes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.  Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread cubes.  If any of the cubes remain dry-looking, press them into the egg mixture to coat.  Then sprinkle the cooked sausage in an even layer on top.  Cover the baking dish and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, take the dish out of the refrigerator.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  When the oven is hot, bake the casserole uncovered for 30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the casserole comes out clean.  Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving.

 

Overnight Steel-cut Oatmeal

I'm back!  I finished my first semester of graduate school and now can think again about things like posting new recipes.  This fall I've been trying out a few, but I just didn't have the time or energy to post them.  It didn't help that I couldn't find the battery charger for my camera for a while.  But now that I'm not writing papers or looking for my charger, I can resume my recipe posting.  This recipe is one that I've been making a lot this fall.  I can start it the night before, and then it just takes 15 minutes in the morning to finish making breakfast.  Since sleep is a precious commodity, I've been trying to get up as late as I can and still get the girls fed before Sabrina has to catch the bus at 7:20 am.

I have three variations of our steel-cut oatmeal:  blueberry with maple syrup, raspberry with brown sugar, and chocolate raspberry.  The picture above is of the chocolate raspberry version, which is the girls' favorite.  Big surprise, eh?

Overnight Steel-cut Oatmeal
serves 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free steel-cut oats.  I use Bob's Red Mill brand.
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• for the blueberry version:  1 cup frozen wild blueberries, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• for the raspberry version:  1 cup frozen raspberries, 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon,  2 to 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• for the chocolate raspberry version:  1 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I like Trader Joe's semi-sweet or Ghirardelli semi-sweet brands), and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 

Instructions:

The night before, add the the steel-cut oats, water, and salt to a small pot and stir.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Immediately remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid.  Leave the pot on the stove top overnight.

The next morning add the berries to the pot, stir, and bring the oatmeal to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium, or so the liquid is simmering gently.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (If you are using raspberries, occasionally mash them with the back of your spoon so that they dissolve into the oatmeal.)  Then remove the pot from the heat, stir in the other ingredients, and serve.

Asheville, North Carolina

This year for our wedding anniversary, Michael and I went to Asheville, North Carolina.  Since my parents moved to North Carolina last September, Asheville is a lot closer than Charlottesville, the town we visited to celebrate our anniversary the past couple of years.

Our major excursion for this trip to Asheville was the town's biggest attraction:  the Biltmore Estate.  We assumed that Michael wouldn't be able to eat there, but we were happily surprised that he was able to have the iced tea and Cobb salad.  Hooray for Southern freshly-brewed iced tea!  For lunch the second day we were going to go to Standard Pizza Company, but unfortunately they were out of their gluten-free pizza dough.  We were disappointed, but since we were quite hungry, we decided to try out plan B:  Posana Cafe.  I'm so glad the pizza restaurant was closed because this place was excellent.  They even had a dairy-free chocolate dessert!  I'd like to go back to Asheville just so that I can go to the Posana Cafe again to check out their dinner options.

I took the above picture when we went out to dinner at the Fig Bistro.  It's hard for me to pass up a restaurant that has duck breast.  This one came with raspberry sauce, wilted greens, and farro.  Wow.  Maybe someday I'll learn how to cook seared duck breast, but in the mean time I can think about going back to this restaurant and having it there again.

Tacos and Quesadillas

Michael and I both like Mexican food, but our bodies can't handle traditional Mexican food found at a restaurant.  (He can't eat the wheat and corn, and I can't eat the cheese.)  So if we want to eat Mexican, we have to do it at home.  Fortunately, about a year or so ago Trader Joe's came out with brown rice tortillas.  Now we can have soft tacos or quesadillas whenever we want.  I usually make tacos first and then freeze the leftover tortillas so that I can make quesadillas on a different night.

The other issue with making tacos or quesadillas is that most all taco seasoning packets contain wheat, corn, or dairy.  After some tweaking, I've come up with a homemade taco seasoning mix that we think tastes just as good as the packets in the store.  I also have included below my recipe for making refried beans from scratch (well, sort of from scratch since I start with a can of pinto beans).  There are a couple of brands of organic refried beans that are gluten-free and corn-free, but it's a lot cheaper to buy a can of organic pinto beans and make the refried beans myself.  And it only takes a few minutes.  Believe it or not, tacos and quesadillas are among my easy meals, the ones I make when I don't feel like cooking but still have to make something to feed my family.  And since they are two of Michael's favorites, he doesn't mind at all.

Tacos and Quesadillas

makes 4 tacos or 2 large quesadillas (to serve 4 adults)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 4 large brown rice tortillas (I get ours at Trader Joe's)
• iceberg lettuce
• Green Mountain Gringo salsa, medium (or another salsa that contains cider vinegar and no distilled white vinegar or corn products).
• Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives
• extra-sharp aged Cheddar cheese, grated at home (not pre-grated in a bag)
• sour cream.  Do not use low fat sour cream.  I recommend Daisy sour cream or another brand that does not contain dextrose or other corn products.
• 15-ounce can of organic pinto beans.  Or if you want to use a can of refried beans, buy a brand like Amy's Organic traditional refried beans or Eden Organic refried beans that does not contain corn products and is labeled gluten-free.  

Instructions for Ground Taco Meat:
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add a little canola oil so that the ground beef won't stick to the pan as much.  Add the ground beef, break it up into pieces using the side of a spatula or spoon, and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the meat is browned. Drain off any excess grease. Then stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, oregano, black pepper, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper, and sea salt.  Stir for about 1 minute to coat the meat with the spices.  Add 1/4 cup of water, cover the pan, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

Ingredients for Refried Beans:

• 1 15 oz. can of organic pinto beans (pinto beans, water, and salt)
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil (or bacon grease if you happen to have that on hand)
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions for Refried Beans:

Heat the canola oil in a medium pan.  Rinse the beans thoroughly under cold water.  Then add the beans to the pan and stir until hot.  Add the spices and stir.  Add the water, remove from heat, and mash the beans with a potato masher until they are the desired consistency.

Instructions for Tacos:

Serve the taco meat on brown rice tortillas.  To warm the tortillas, place a damp paper towel on a dinner plate.  Place one tortilla on the paper towel. Then place another damp paper towel on top of the tortilla.  Repeat this process for as many tortillas as you need, making sure that a damp paper towel is on the very top.  Microwave the tortillas on the plate for about 30 seconds, or until they are quite warm.  Then place a tortilla on each person's plate so that they can fill them with the taco meat, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, sliced olives, and grated Cheddar cheese.

Instructions for Quesadillas:
(These instructions are for making 1 quesadilla, which will serve 2 adults.  If you want to make 2 quesadillas, there will still be plenty of room for both quesadillas on the same baking sheet.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a tortilla with canola oil and place the tortilla greased-side down onto a baking sheet.  Spread half of the warm refried beans onto the tortilla.  Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef mixture (1/2 lb.) on top of the refried beans.  Sprinkle on sliced olives and grated Cheddar cheese, if you prefer.  Place the second tortilla on top.  Lightly grease the top of the second tortilla with canola oil.  Place the baking sheet on the lower-middle oven rack and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned.  Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce, salsa, and sour cream. 

Best Marinated Flank Steak (or flat iron steak)

This recipe is so simple that it's hard to believe how good it is, but it's my new favorite way to prepare beef before grilling it.  I found the recipe here, but I modified it to use fish sauce instead of oyster sauce, to which I may be allergic.  You might be worried that the beef will end up tasting fishy, but it really doesn't.  Somehow the fish sauce, combined with the other ingredients, just gives it a great depth of "umami" flavor.  And in addition to loving the taste, I love the word "umami," don't you?

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. flank steak or flat iron steak
• 1/4 cup fish sauce.  Buy one that is labeled gluten-free, like the Thai Kitchen brand.
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. grainy mustard or Dijon mustard
• black pepper -- to sprinkle on before grillin

Instructions:

Cut any excess fat or silver skin off of the steak.  Whisk together the fish sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl.  Place the steak in a gallon-size Zip-loc bag and pour the marinate into the bag.  Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the steak.  Place the steak in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, but up to overnight.  Remove the steak from the bag and sprinkle it with black pepper.  Grill until medium done.  Let the steak rest 10 minutes before slicing it thinly against the grain.

Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce

I already have a recipe for pizza on this blog.  However, I posted that recipe before Sabrina's egg allergy was diagnosed, and before I realized that the citric acid in store-bought tomato sauce comes from corn.  Since then I've started making pizza using the same Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix, but without egg.  I've also developed my own homemade pizza sauce using a can of tomato paste, since tomato paste is one of the few canned tomato products that usually does not contain citric acid.  The great thing is that my family likes the homemade sauce even better!  An additional bonus is that, for the cost of one small can of tomato paste, I can make enough sauce for two pizzas.  One bag of the Bob's Red Mill pizza mix makes enough dough for two pizzas, so the whole meal ends up being pretty economical.  In the summer when I grow basil outside, I can even throw on some fresh basil for practically free.  :)

One last note is that so far I have only made pizza on a metal pizza pan, so my instructions are for that kind of pan.  The main thing I've learned is that the pan has to be on the bottom oven rack for the crust to bake completely and get crispy.  Maybe someday I'll get a pizza stone and then work on instructions for baking a pizza on that.

Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce
(1 pizza feeds 2 adults, or 2 adults and a couple small children, if the adults are willing to share)

Ingredients:

• half the bag (8 oz.) of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix
• 1 tsp. of yeast from the enclosed yeast packet
• 3/4 cup water, warmed in the microwave to 105 degrees
• instead of an egg:  1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. hot water
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives.  (I just discovered that some of the cans of sliced olives at Whole Foods are also safe since they contain just olives, water, and salt.)
• Hormel Natural Choice original uncured pepperoni
• 2 oz. aged extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)

Ingredients for the sauce:
(This makes enough for 2 pizzas.  On one pizza I use half, which is 6 oz. or 3/4 cup, and I freeze the rest for another time.)

• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 

Instructions:

Heat 3/4 cup water in the microwave until it reaches 105 degrees.  (This takes about 45 seconds in my microwave.  The water is hot enough to help activate the yeast but isn't so hot as to kill it.)  Mix the yeast into the water and let it sit.  In a separate small bowl heat 3 Tbsp. of water and 1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal, and stir.  After letting the yeast water and flax seed water sit for a couple of minutes, transfer them to a mixing bowl.  Add the white sugar and olive oil and mix on low until combined.  Then add the flour and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with saran wrap and set aside for 30 minutes for the dough to rise.

Move the oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Pour 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil onto a metal pizza pan and spread around using a paper towel, OR spray the pan with an olive oil spray.   Place the dough onto the pan and use a spatula to spread it until it is a 12-inch diameter circle.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes on the lowest oven rack.  Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Then return the pan to the lowest oven rack for about 10 more minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven when the cheese is melted and golden.  (If you add more cheese, you might need to cook the pizza longer once the toppings have been added.  You might need to place the pizza on the lower-middle rack so that the crust doesn't burn before the cheese is melted.)  Let the pizza cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Zucchini Apple Muffins

Here is my latest muffin recipe!  Since it's now summer and zucchini is inexpensive and plentiful, I thought I would come up with another way to use it in muffins.  The grated zucchini and apple keep these muffins nice and moist.     

Recently I have discovered another method that helps cut down on preparation time when making baked goods:  weighing flour using a kitchen scale.  I had read that one cup of white flour is 125 grams.  After measuring and weighing the Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour, I confirmed that one cup of it also is equal to 125 grams.  So if you have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend weighing the flour instead of trying to scoop it out of the bag.  Weighing the flour is more accurate and takes less time, too!  (One caveat is that other gluten-free flours do not weigh the same amount, so be sure to measure other flours using measuring cups or according to the recipe.) 

Zucchini Apple Muffins
makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. rice milk
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed meal
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.  Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the muffin tin with canola oil.  Mix the rice milk and flax seed meal in a cup, heat it in the microwave until hot, and stir.

Peel the skin off the zucchini and apple.  Grate the zucchini, pack it firmly into a 1/2 cup measuring cup, and pour the grated zucchini into a small bowl.  Then grate the apple, pack it firmly into the 1/2 cup measuring cup, and transfer it to the bowl with the zucchini.  Be sure to firmly pack as much zucchini and apple into the measuring cup as you can.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a different bowl, mix the flax and milk mixture, white sugar, canola oil, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.  Stir the grated zucchini and apple into the liquid ingredients.  Then pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients.  Stir until completely combined.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin using a level 1/3 cup of batter per muffin.  Bake for about 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Loosen the sides of the muffins with a knife or thin spatula to help the muffins come out of the tin.