Gluten Free Pierogi Casserole

Ingredients
3 pounds of potatoes
1 large white onion, chopped
1 ½ Bell Pepper, chopped
8 oz of Mushrooms, sliced
3 pieces of Spring Roll Wrappers
1 tsp garlic
½ cup Milk
½ cup cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Boil 4-5 cups of water
Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut into cups/chunks 
When the water comes to a complete boil, add the potato chunks to the water, let cook until soft
In a frying pan add the garlic chopped onions, pepper and mushrooms and saute 
Preheat the oven at 350
When potatoes are soft, remove from water and place in a mixing bowl, add the ½ cup milk and mash or use a hand mixer until they are smooth
Grease a casserole dish, and place one spring roll wrapper on the bottom. Add a layer of the mashed potatoes. Then the onions, peppers, and mushroom mixture, then cheese. Repeat 2 more times. 
Place casserole dish in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes and then Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms-crab, bacon and cream cheese

Ingredients:
1 package of cream cheese, soften
2 pounds of mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
10 oz of lumped crab meat
¼ of a medium white onion chopped
4-5 slices of bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Slice bacon into small pieces and chop onion and garlic
Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together

Using a spoon stuff each mushroom with the mixture

Place on a baking sheet (I used a silicon mat)
Place and oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top of the mushrooms
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients
2 pounds of ground meat, browned
28-30 ounces of pumpkin puree (2 cans)
1 large sweet potato (cubed)
1 red onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
3 carrots (cubed)
1 parsnip (cubed)
12-14 ounces of mushrooms diced
2 table spoons Chili powder
1-1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Brown the ground meat, after browned add to crock pot
2. Add the pumpkin puree, and all other veggies and spices
3. Mix all the ingredients together in the crockpot
4. Turn the crockpot on low and let cook for 8 hours, stir occasionally.

Note: I’ve used butternut and acorn squash and white potatoes in previous recipes, and cumin. It has also turned out amazing. I just used what was in my fridge and pantry to make this batch.

Cheese Steak Casserole

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds of shaved steak
1 package of mushrooms, chopped
2 Bell Peppers, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
12 ounces of mozzarella cheese, shredded.

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven, 350 degrees
2. In a frying pan saute the chopped peppers and onions

3. Layer the meat, veggies, and cheese and continue until the casserole dish is filled to the top

4. Cover the casserole dish with foil, and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Ground Beef Jerky

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of lean ground beef (85/15, 90/10/ 96/4 all work)
1/2 cup coconut aminos, if you do not want to buy coconut aminos-this recipe works well as a substitute (http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/01/substitute-soy-sauce-coconut-aminos/)
2 table spoons of liquid smoke
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp  Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:
Place ground beef in a mixing bowl
Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl

Use your hands to mix the ingredients into the ground beef
Place the mixed ground beef into a zip lock bag and place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. This will allow the seasoning to flavor the beef.

Place beef into a jerky gun. Using the gun make stripes of jerky onto each tray of the dehydrator

Once all the beef is placed on trays in the dehydrator, set the temperature to 160 for 4-6 hours.

I store mine in zip lock bags in the fridge, it lasts about one month. Although, it seems to never make it a week in our house.

****If you do not have a jerky gun: Place parchment paper on a hard surface and then place some the beef mixture on top. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the ground beef. Using a glass or rolling pin, roll the ground beef flat to about ¼ of an inch. Remove the top layer of parchment paper, and use a knife to cut small stripes of jerky.

****If you do not have a dehydrator: Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil, then place a cookie rack or raise rack over the cookie sheet. Set your stripes of beef on the rack and place in oven for 3-4 hours. It may help to place a towel between the oven and oven door while the ground beef is cooking.

Coconut Milk “frappuccino”

Ingredients:
1 cup cold brewed Coffee
1 piece of dark chocolate, broken up into small pieces
1/2 can of coconut cream or full fat coconut milk
1 cup of ice

Directions:
If you are using full fat coconut milk-Place can of coconut milk in the fridge 4-6 hours before making the frappuccino at least, these will help the water and fat separate. Add a 1/2 cup of the separated coconut milk fat to the blender.
Add the dark chocolate, coffee, ice to the blender.
Use the pulse setting on the blender for 3-5 seconds two or three times.
Transfer the frappuccino mixture from the blender to a glass and enjoy.

Asparagus, Bacon, and Eggs Bake

Ingredients:
6-8 strips of bacon
Asparagus 1-1 1/2 pounds
8 eggs
Juice from ½ lemon
Thyme 1 teaspoon
Black Pepper 1 teaspoon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450
2. In a Pyrex baking dish place the strips of bacon in the dish, once the oven is preheated place the bacon in the oven for 8-10 minutes

3.Remove dish from oven, add the asparagus on top of the bacon, pour the lemon juice over the asparagus and bacon, and add black pepper and thyme. Place dish back into the oven for 8-10 minutes

4. Remove dish, and crack eggs over the bacon and asparagus, place back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are fully cooked. Then remove from oven and enjoy.

5. Then remove from the oven and enjoy.

Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles)

Ingredients:
3-5 small zucchini’s
Salt

Materials:
Paper towels
Spiral Vegetable Slicer Spiral Cutter

Directions:
Cut ends of zucchini off

Place one zucchini in the spiral cutter and make noodles. Repeat the same step until each zucchini is made into noodles.


Place a dish towel out on the counter, then place a layer of paper towels over the towel
Place the zoodles on the paper towels

Sprinkle salt over the zoodles
Place an additional layer of paper towels over the salted zoodles for 15-20 minutes to bring the water out of the zoodles

Once the water is removed from the zoodles, place in a heated skilled with your favorite cooking fat for 2-3 minutes to make al-dente serve with your favorite seasonings or sauce

Meatballs

I try to make meatballs every two weeks, they are relativity easy and are a great staple to have in the fridge to make many different meals, or just snack on.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of Ground Meat (I used Beef 85/15)
1 egg
2 tablespoons of parsley
1 tablespoon of cilantro
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of Marjoram
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
¼ cup of Almond meal or coconut flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350
Place ground meat in a mixing bowl

Add the spices, flour/meal and egg to the mixing bowl

Using your hands mix all the ingredients together until all the ingredients are well blended
Roll the meat into 1 to 1 and ½ inch balls and place on the roasting rack

Place the meatballs into the oven for 45 minutes

Hint: I used a stainless steel pan with a raised rack and a silicone-baking sheet. I put the silicone-baking sheet under the raised rack to catch all the fat and drippings from the meat. This will make cleaning everything after the meatballs are finished much easier. Also, using the raised rack will make the meatballs crispy.

BBQ Coffee and Garlic Dry Rub

At a recent picnic I had a piece of grilled chicken with a unique dry rub- Coffee, BBQ and Garlic. I asked the host if she made the dry rub or if it was something she bought already made. Her response was the BBQ Coffee Garlic Spice from Trader Joes. I asked if I could see the container-she showed it to me and I quickly noticed it had sugar as an ingredient and that wouldn’t work for me.

I decided to try my own stab at making this unique and amazing dry rub:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup ground coffee
2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
1 teaspoon of Himalayan Salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of Onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:
Place all the spices into a bowl and stir.

Once the spices are evenly blended move to a storage container and use it on your favorite meats. Ours our chicken, beef ribs, and pot roast.