Super Easy Gluten / Wheat Free Pork Chops with Marinara Sauce

This is for a friend who is just starting off without wheat / gluten.  She asked for some easy meals.


Skillet Pork Chops with Pasta

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook 1/2 onion, chopped and about 4 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms, 1 T fresh minced garlic and 1/2 T Italian seasonings in about 4 T oil for about 8 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Remove them to a bowl, keeping as much of the juice in the skillet.

Season 4 pork chops (or chicken breast pieces) with salt and pepper. Cook them about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until they are just beginning to become golden. Add the cooked vegetables and 1 -32 ounce jar of pasta sauce (Classico Fire Roasted Tomatoes And Garlic is what I used -- it's the only one I can find without sugar.  It's also very similar to the way I would make it from scratch, only a lot easier!) reduce the heat to medium. Cover and allow it to simmer while cooking the pasta.

Add one package of Gluten-Free Rice pasta or Quinoa pasta (available at Wal-Mart) to the boiling water and cook as the package directs.

Once the chops have cooked for a total of about 20 minutes (or to 180F), serve them along side the pasta and the sauce.

Serves 4. Enjoy!

Homemade Allergy-friendly "Rice-a-Roni"

This could be called Rice-a-Roni or Rice Pilaf.  Whatever it is, it's yummy!  Serves 8


Homemade Allergy-friendly "Rice-a-Roni"


In a large frying pan, melt over medium high heat


2 tablespoons lard
3 tablespoons liquid oil (corn or canola)


Add


8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
4 ounces rice vermicelli, broken into 1/2" bits
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Cook and stir the ingredients until the pasta is golden brown, about 10 minutes.


Add


1 1/2 cups white rice
1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
2 tablespoons liquid oil (canola, corn, etc.)


Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until the rice is browning, about 5 minutes.  Add


5 cups water


Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.  Depending upon the humidity, more water and cooking time may be necessary.

Allergy-friendly Orange Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings

Oh my goodness!  I think this is the best chicken I've made in a very long time!!  The sauce would make a great barbecue sauce for just about any meat.  Be sure and have lots of napkins handy!  Serves 8.


Allergy-friendly Orange Honey BBQ Chicken Wings


Cut the wing sections apart at the joints, discarding the tips, or saving them for stock.  Season well


~5 pounds chicken wings


With sea salt and Adobo seasoning, stirring them to distribute the seasonings evenly.  Let them rest about 5 minutes.  Then drizzle 


2 tablespoons cooking oil 


over the wings and stir them well to coat.  


Line a large baking dish (11"x17"x3") with foil and coat it with 2 tablespoons cooking oil.  Alternatively, use two smaller baking pans lined with foil.


Dredge the wing sections in 


1 cup flour mix or a combination of cornstarch and corn meal


and place them into a the foil lined pan.  Bake them at 350F for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are no longer obviously pink -- about 1/2 way cooked.


While the wing sections are cooking, prepare the sauce.


Orange Honey Sauce


1 - 12 ounce can orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup honey*
1/3 cup agave nectar*
2 tablespoons sorghum molasses**
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Pour the sauce over the wings and continue to bake them at 350F for another 35 minutes, or until they are done at 180F internal temperature.




*to measure honey or other sticky things, put a little cooking oil into the measuring cup and pour out the excess.  Then the honey won't stick to the cup and it will be much easier to clean up.


**if sorghum molasses isn't available, just use extra honey

Sugar-free Chocolate Cashew Butter -- Like Nutella! Also, Cashew Butter From Scratch

Hi there,

You know, with our allergies, so many sweet treats are just out of the picture.  Even simple things, like nuts we have to watch the labels like hawks for things like sunflower oil and peanut oil.  The only place I've been able to find cashews without those things locally are at Dollar Tree Stores.  They have 3.5 ounce packages of roasted salted or unsalted cashews.  Also, cashew butter is something like $9 for a little jar.  Too expensive for our budget!  We've been making the $1 a bag cashews into cashew butter and enjoying it thoroughly on apple slices.

Lately,  I've been wanting chocolate, but even that is difficult.  I bumped into a recipe for homemade Nutella(TM) the other day and came up with our own "Ella Nut," as my son likes to call it -- Sugar Free Chocolate Cashew Butter.

First, I'll give you the instructions for the homemade cashew butter:

Cashew Butter From Scratch

3 - 3.5 ounce packets (2 cups) roasted cashews (with or without salt) 

1/4 cup liquid oil (canola, corn, etc.)

Process the cashews in a food processor until they are a fine powder and may be starting to clump together.  Gradually add the oil until they are a smooth paste.  It may be necessary to add more or less depending on how fresh the nuts are.  

You might want to add a packet or two of Truvia at this time if you are not going to proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Homemade "Ella Nut" Chocolate Cashew Butter

1 batch Cashew Butter From Scratch (above)

14 packets Truvia

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup liquid oil (canola, corn, etc.) 

While the cashew butter is still in the food processor, add the remaining ingredients except for the oil.  Begin processing  and gradually add the oil until the product is smooth and glossy.  It may require more or less oil that stated, depending on the humidity, etc.

Store the cashew butter or chocolate cashew butter tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a couple of weeks -- if it lasts that long!

Apple Spice Cake Variation and Creamy Frosting, Sugar-Free!

Apple Spice Cake


We did a couple of variations on the Apple Spice Cake recently.


First, we did an Apply Apple Spice Cake -- instead of 2 cups of applesauce, we used 1 cup of applesauce and about 1 1/2 cups diced apples (1/2" dice.)  We did all other aspects as usual, except used liquid canola oil for baking since we were doing it immediately.  Then, as soon as it came out of the oven, we sprinkled it with about 3 tablespoons fructose and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon.  We served it warm -- it was amazing!


The second variation was a Fruit Juice Spice Cake -- instead of the applesauce, we used the juice from some canned fruit, (peaches and pears), and baked it as usual.  This cake we frosted.


Creamy Frosting, Sugar-Free!


Cream in a mixing bowl on medium speed with an electric mixer


1 cup lard
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Add, little by little


1 1/4 cup Ideal Confectionery


Then add 


2 tablespoons goat milk (or rice milk)


and another


1 1/4 cup Ideal Confectionery


little by little.  Add some more goat milk if it needs it.  Spread on cooled cake.

Yummy Wheat-Free Apple Fritters!

These are little Wheat-Free Apple Fritters.  Of course, they are, also, egg, dairy, soy and sugar-free.  Yum!


Wheat-Free Apple Fritters -- allergy friendly


Combine in a large bowl


2 1/2 cups flour mix
1 packet unflavored gelatin (Knox)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves2/3 cup fructose
2 cups chopped apple, 1/2" dice
Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined


1 cup liquid (I used a combination of peach juice -- from a can of no sugar added peaches -- and goat milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Heat about 3/4" canola oil in a pot.  Drop batter into the hot oil in about 1 to 2 tablespoon blobs.  When the batter floats to the top and has bubbles around the edges, flip the fritters.  Allow them to cook until they are just firm and remove them to paper towels.


Roll them in a mixture of

1/2 cup fructose

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen apple fritters.  

Chocolate Donut Holes -- wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, Yay!

These are little Fritters.  Yum!


Chocolate Donut Holes -- allergy friendly


Combine in a large bowl


2 cups flour mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 packet unflavored gelatin (Knox)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup fructose


Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined


1 cup liquid (I used a combination of peach juice -- from a can of no sugar added peaches -- and goat milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Heat about 3/4" canola oil in a pot.  Drop batter into the hot oil in about 1 to 2 tablespoon blobs.  When the batter floats to the top and has bubbles around the edges, flip the fritters.  Allow them to cook until they are just firm and remove them to paper towels.


You can sprinkle them with fructose, Truvia, or a blend of 1:2 cornstarch:Stevia in the Raw measurable.


Makes about 1 1/2 dozen donut fritters.  

"Non-Dairy" Orange Julius Drink

Oh my goodness!  This is good.  My youngest had the idea, so I found a recipe on the Net and changed it up.  Here it is:  Sugar-free, non-dairy, non-soy, non-egg Orange Julius.  Yum!  My eldest daughter said, "It tastes like an orange sherbet milkshake!"


"Non-Dairy" Orange Julius Drink


1 - 12 ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups goat milk or rice milk
1/3 cup fructose
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ice cubes


This all just barely fit into my blender container.  I actually poured off about a cup of the mix, blended it thoroughly, then added the rest of it.  I then carefully blended that in.


Makes about 4 - 12 ounce servings.

Applets -- Sugar Free, you bet!

Are they Aplets or Applets or Applettes??  Whatever they are, they are yummy, and have no sugar, wheat or soy in them!


If you've been following my blog, this is basically a re-visit of the gummy candies we made the other day.  Those were definitely easier, but the coating worked out better with these.  No one outside the family tried the gummies, but a non-sugar-free friend had some of these and couldn't stay out of them!


Applets -- Sugar Free, you bet!


In a medium sized saucepan, soften (let rest without heat)


3 packets unflavored gelatin 
in
1/2 cup applejuice


for about 5 minutes.  Break up any lumpy bits during that time.


Meanwhile, boil 


2 1/2 cups applejuice
3/4 cups fructose


for about 15 minutes to thicken it.


Combine


1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup cornstarch


Add it and the gelatin mixture to the boiled juice.  Stir it well to combine.  Stirring constantly, boil the mixture for another 10 minutes or until it is very thick.


Add (if desired)


2 cups chopped walnuts


(We didn't do ours with nuts, but the traditional candy always has nuts in it.)


Run cold water over the back of a 9"x9"x2" metal pan, then pour the apple paste into it.  Allow it to set up for a couple of hours, then cut it into 1 1/2" cubes.


In a small zippered bag, combine about


2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw (measurable)
2 tablespoons cornstarch


Drop the candy, piece-by-piece, into the cornstarch mixture, shaking them gently to cover them with the powder.  Set them on a plate as they are finished.  Continue this process until all of the candies are done.


Makes about 36 candies.

Allergy-friendly Funnel Cake!!

Yes, folks, you read that right.  My family and I enjoyed homemade Funnel Cakes this afternoon without having to eat any sugar, dairy, eggs, wheat, or soy!


Allergy-friendly Funnel Cake!!


Combine the "wet" ingredients in a bowl


1 cup goat milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons ground flax + 1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla


In another large bowl combine


2 cups flour mix
1 packet gelatin (Knox)
1 tablespoon fructose
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder


Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until they are just combined.  The batter should be thin enough to flow through the end of a funnel.  Add more water if necessary.


Heat about 1" of cooking oil in a pot that is about 6" to 8" across.  Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the funnel while holding the spout so that it doesn't pour out.  (This is a two person job!)  Release the spout so the batter pours into the hot oil.  Swirl the batter around and around until the funnel is empty.  Be very careful at this point, the batter can suddenly release steam and cause a nasty burn!


When the cake has puffed up and is no longer wet looking on top, (about 2 minutes), flip it and let it finish cooking, about another minute.  Remove it to paper towels to drain.  Repeat with remaining batter.


When the cakes are done, sprinkle them with a combination of about


1 cup Ideal Confectionery
1/4 cup cornstarch


Serve warm.  Makes about 8 servings.