Quick And Easy Recipes

[CtheCeliac]

I've been growing tired of the same old rotation of fast-and-easy meals. I've been gluten-free for eight months and am hitting a slump; maybe it's the season change and the craving for fall comfort foods. Here's my basic rotation of fast-and-easy meals:

-Tacos

-Stir fry with GV brand soy sauce

-Salad

-Peanut butter on rice or tapioca bread

-Homemade soup (been having trouble with Swanson's Chicken Broth. Thompson's software lists Swanson's GTS Chicken Broth as okay. What's the difference between that and the traditional.)

-Omelet

-Mish-mash (egg dish)

-Grilled steak or chicken with grilled veggies

-Talapia pan fried with gluten-free flour

-Cod baked with a layer of Hellmann's mayo

Okay, that's the endless rotation. How do I make the tradition to fall?

Also, anybody know about the difference between Swanson's Chicken traditional Chicken Broth and the Swanson's GTS Chicken Broth? I don't know if it's my imagination. Maybe it's the MSG?

Thanks in advance. This message board has been my survival guide the past eight months.

[Juliebove]

I don't know the difference between those broths. I just know we can't eat them. There is something my daughter is allergic to in there. Soy? Maybe. We buy Imagine or Pacific brand.

One thing my family likes is Hormel Beef Au Jus. Instead of preparing it as directed, I dump it out in a large skillet, break it up in pieces and heat through. In the meantime, I cook up some rice pad thai noodles and add them to the beef when cooked.

Another thing is chicken and noodles. I often use lasgna noodle broken into large chunks. I cook those up then add them to some chicken breast that has been cut into chunks and cooked in some chicken broth with carrots, peas, maybe celery, and a bit of chopped onion. I thicken this down with a bit of sweet rice flour before adding the noodles.

I often make an Italian style soup using whatever I have in the house. The other night it was a large jar of tomato juice to which I added cooked ground beef, onions, celery, carrots, corn, potatoes, kidney beans and some Italian seasoning. You can add pretty much whatever vegetables you have and can use pasta or rice instead of potatoes.

Chili is another favorite as are stuffed baked potatoes. We can't have dairy so I make mine using olive oil, rice milk, green onion and nutritional yeast.

We also eat a lot of salads. The other night I made spinach salads with a lot of bacon and tomato. Egg is good with this, but again we are allergic.

A good crockpot meal is pot roast with potatoes, onions and carrots. Sometimes I mix it up a bit by adding assorted bell peppers cut in stips and a can of tomato sauce.

Spanish rice can be made quickly with or without meat.

We also like hummus. We will eat this with raw vegetables and some rice crackers or gluten-free breadsticks.

[Ridgewalker]

Some dinner ideas- my kids will eat most of these...

- I make gluten-free pizza about once a week (that's how often I used to order it, so why not

- Chili in the crockpot (I can't remember what brand chili seasoning I use, even tho I've used it for years. having brain problems tonight It is naturally gluten-free and comes in a little brown bag.)

- Spaghetti with Tinkyada or DeBoles noodles

- We often do breakfast for dinner, too- it can also be pancakes (Pamela's mix and I add chocolate chips or blueberries) or Van's gluten-free Waffles

- Cheesy Dogs- Oscar Meyer weiners; cut a slice down the middle and put pieces of American cheese in them; stick them in the microwave or oven until the cheese is melted. Might sound gross, but we like it,

- My kids love Mrs. Leeper's Cheeseburger Mac- it tastes very much like the old Hamburger Helper standby

- I like to get the packages of ham steaks. I'll bake them, and do mashed potatoes and veggies. Taste just as good as a big ham, but faster with no hassle.

- Quesadillas on corn tortillas (chicken, peppers, and onions cooked with taco seasoning. Spray a corn tortilla with Pam, layer the chicken and veggies, then some cheese, then another tortilla, and grill it just like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.)

For chicken broth, I use Kitchen Basics or HerbOx instead of Swanson's. I don't know, I just like them better, They taste better and they've got less added junk. Despite the Cheesy Dogs, I try where I can

Also, whenever I do a recipe that calls for cooked chicken, I slow-cook the chicken in my crockpot. I throw in 1/2 onion, a large carrot, and a stalk of celery- all cut in big chunks, plus some salt and pepper. The chicken cooks without me having to babysit it, and I have perfect chicken broth when it's done. I just strain it and freeze it. (I usually just discard the veggies, which get mushy by that time, but I only use small amount of each- the slow cooking does the work of flavoring.)

I've also been doing this for recipes that call for beef or pork. I have plenty of broth in my freezer now. I've found that it's very convenient for adding extra flavor when cooking rice or dried beans. Also for a quick chicken soup, I can use canned chicken and frozen veggies really quick, with my frozen broth, and none of it tastes like it was ever canned or frozen!

-Sarah

[CtheCeliac]

Yum! Thanks so much for the ideas from all of you! I'm getting my appetite back. Yes, making your own broth is the best idea.

[harrishart]

I am new to this too - still trying to adapt some of my old favorites to gluten free. I also have been buying the Pacific brand chicken broth - last time I ate Swanson's I got really sick.

I do like a chicken and rice casserole with Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup - it's really good and my family loves that one. We have also done chili (use the little brown bag too - it's the only one we can find around here that doesn't have wheat flour in it), pasta (spaghetti, fettucine, any of it - we love it all). I haven't found a bad rice pasta yet - my 6 year old DD says it tastes better than the "old" spaghetti LOL. BTW, I am Celiac, but my DH and DD are not (yet). LOL

I am attempting a taco soup recipe tomorrow night that I found on this board yesterday - I am loving this site - great information here!!

[buffettbride]

We do pulled pork often. Get a pork butt roast, enough beef broth to cover the roast, a tablespoon of liquid smoke, and about 1/2 cup coffe, and let cook all day.

Then, when you want to eat, put the pork on a cutting board and pull apart with forks. You can mix in the BBQ sauce of your choice. Super easy and super yummy and would go well by itself or on toasted gluten-free bread.

[Guest j_mommy]

Chicken:

2 thawed Chix breasts cut into pieces

1/2 of onion cut up

butter or olive oil

salt and pepper

Put butter/oil in pan, throw chicken in, throw onion in, add salt and pepper to taste, cook until chix is done.

You can eat this plain with sides, add on top of rice ect!

Quesidillas:

Corn tortillas

taco meat

fiest cheese

zesty ranch taco topping

We do spegetti with homeamde garlic cheese bread

Egg dish:

in 8x8 pan or pie dish

Put frozen hash browns in bottom(just cover bottom of pan)

8 sausage links(cooked and cut into pieces): layer on top of hashbrowns

6eggs, cup of milk and TBlsp on Parsely(mix well): layer on top of sausage and hashbrowns

top with mild chedder cheese

Bake at 425 for 50 min.....watch cheese when gloden and a little bubbly it's done

Note: drain sausage well!

[confused]

we do fajiats and spanish rice, sometimes i use the brown rice tortillas or just mix the meat with the spanish rice, so yummy.

chicken bowls(i typed it right lol)

make mash potatoes, some chicken, gravy and corn

chili burger, chili dogs

steak and potoatoes, fried together

pork chops with callabecitas (green chili, corn, potatoes and squash) use to put onion.

egg and bacon and green chili sandwhiches

spaghetti(the rice pasta, sauce and johnsonville sausage cut up) so good

paula

[Ridgewalker]

We do spegetti with homeamde garlic cheese bread

Would you mind sharing your recipe for the garlic cheese bread?

-Sarah

[CtheCeliac]

I called Hormel and they said their chili with beans is gluten-free. Some of their other products are gluten-free; they referred me to their website.

[Emily Elizabeth]

One super fast and cheap lunch I have been having at work is,

1 can tuna

1/2 can green beans

1/4-1/2 cup cottage cheese

Mixed together and heated up for 2 mins.

I think it's good, but i'm sure kids wouldn't like it. You could probably add cheddar cheese on top if you wanted.

[JNBunnie1]

j_mommy, I'd love to see the recipe for garlic cheese bread too. It would go really well with the following:

Alfredo!

For the sauce:

1 cup milk

1 stick butter

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 cup grated hard cheese- parmesan, romano

Put first three ingredients in saucepan and stir rather vigorously until cream cheese is mostly melted and mixed in on medium heat, usually takes 8-10 min, then add grated cheese and stir for another minute or two and remove from heat. I like to add garlic (powder or chopped) and a little pepper.

Meanwhile, I saute one pound of either ground beef or small chunks of chicken in one pan, and in another pan one large chopped onion, and one large chopped green pepper til tender.Then I mix everything together, and it's delicious. Not sure what to call it, because it's not pasta, but it's always been my favorite.

[2ofus2kids2dogs]

Great thread - we can all use new ideas! Here's a list of my quick and easy standbys:

1 - Chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces, cooked in a frying pan with just a little oil. I only add salt and pepper, cook until brown and dip in Sweet Baby Rays. I usually have this with baked potato with butter, sour cream and bacon bits. The chicken cooks really quick already cut up.

2 - Lasagna. I don't do a terribly complicated lasagna. I brown hamburger, add Prego spaghetti sauce to that. Cook gluten free lasagna noodles. I use DeBoles. In a baking dish, put a little sauce in the bottom, then a layer of noodles, some cottage cheese spread on top of those, sauce, 1 cup of mozzerella, then noodles, cottage cheese, sauce and top with plenty of mozzerella 2 cups or so. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes, until brown and bubbling.

3 - Gluten free pizza.

4 - Steak and veggies.

5 - Chicken quesedillas. Cut up chicken, cook in pan with a little oil, taco seasoning. Then put on a corn torilla, top with chicken and put chedder cheese on top - heat in microwave for about 30 seconds. Top with taco sauce and sour cream.

6 - Hamburgers and fries.

7 - Stuffed green peppers.

8 - Donuts for breakfast. (corn starch and potato starch recipe)

9 - HOmemade potato skins.

10 - HOmemade mozzerella sticks (string cheese, cut in half, dipped in egg - coated in mixture of gluten free flour and Zattaran's - about half and half. Cook in hot oil. Dip in spaghetti or pizza sauce.

11 - Spaghetti - Tinkyada pasta cook, hamburger and Prego for sauce.

Wow - I eat a lot! I'm enjoying hearing everyone's responses.

Melissa (gluten free 1 year and 1 week)!!

[amybeth]

If you're talking quick and easy, I'm all about it.

I buy hatfield ham slices, heat them in a skillet and top with crushed pineapple, when I want a quick meal.

I also take pork chops and coat (lightly) w/ McCormick's Carribean Jerk Seasoning, then cook 8 min/side in a skillet of hot oil... I serve with "Latino Blend" frozen veggies (peppers, onion, corn)

Microwave baked potatoes with Green Giant single servings of Brocolli w/ Cheese sauce (sometimes with ham slice on the side)

Taste of Thai makes a Spicy Thai Peanut Bake (in an envelope in the ethnic food aisle of my grocery) just coat chicken tenders and bake for 25 min. - no fuss, no muss. Great with corn and/or bed of rice.

Also depending on what you consider quick, I have a good recipe for spinach turkey burgers, and also one for lemon chicken (both about 30 min or so).

Bon Appetit!

[little d]

I can not find Mrs Leepers here in Texas, Whole Foods does not carry this anymore. I liked it and so did my husband and daughter which was a miracle since they both don't like some of the foods that I make that is gluten free, but when nothing else is made they eat it anyway. I am getting better making glutne free foods so it is tasting better. The other night this is what I made

Pork chops cut into little pieces, cooked them in my pan with butter, seasoned with garlic, salt, soup base for flavor,

sprinkled rice flour for a little gravy

thai kitchen noodles it was one that was medium in hottness this was not too hot afterwards

gluten-free ranch beans smashed up a little.

The beans was a little much but it was still good.

donna

[Guest j_mommy]

I do the garlic cheese bread the eaiest way!!!LOL

Put oven on broil

Anykind of sliced bread.....

I toast them in my toaster just to get a little crisp

Spread on butter

sprinkle with garlic powder

top with mozz cheese

throw them in the oven for a few minutes until cheese is bubbly!

Super easy and about 6-8 fit on a cookie sheet!