This Week's Gluten Free Menu

[RissaRoo]

I've had a tough couple of months dealing with health issues again (I'm doing ok...just dealing with stuff that's probably always been going on but is just now getting diagnosed). Plus, Mondays got very busy and also we've been on a rice-and bean type budget by and large lately (who wants a week's worth of *that* sort of menu?!?)...anyway, enough excuses. I've missed doing the menus! If you have questions on anything, let me know...

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It's not Monday, but maybe you can stash this week's menu away for next week! We had leftover lamb from the Passover, but I put the roasted leg of lamb in this week as Monday's meal since I use leftovers twice this week. Leftovers doesn't really do it justice...we only have lamb once a year, but we sure have enjoyed it!

Monday: Roasted leg of lamb, asparagus and pepper salad, roasted red potatoes. See the Seder Menu for recipes. I also ended up making a regular basil pesto with pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Tuesday: Lamb Pesto Pasta with asparagus. Prepare one package of gluten free fettucini noodles according to the package. Toss with both the mint and basil leftover pestos. Chop some lamb meat into small squares and chop the leftover asparagus and peppers into bite-sized pieces. Toss the lamb and asparagus with the noodles and pesto, and add a little more grated Parmesan cheese on top. We had steamed artichokes with this meal...mmmmm!

Wednesday: Split pea and ham soup. Six cups of chicken broth (I made ours with Better than Bullion, although we usually use Pacific brand. Both are gluten-free), one package of organic split peas, one package of gluten free ham chunks (Bar S), about a cup of chopped carrots, and one minced onion. Throw it all in a pot and cook until the peas are mushy...I cooked mine for a couple of hours on low but you can use a higher temp and accomplish the same thing in less time. Season with salt, pepper, a dash of garlic powder and serve with fresh fruit, vegetables, or a salad.

Thursday: Hamburgers and fries. Not the most healthy meal ever....but we have some 100% beef patties in the freezer and the kids have been wanting burgers! You can make home fries by slicing potatoes, tossing them with olive oil and salt (or seasoning salt...check for gluten), and baking them at 400 until they are brown. Or use frozen fries...but check for gluten first! We'll serve our with steamed Kale.

Friday: Lamb and bean stew. I froze the rest of the lamb (on the bone) and some leftover chopped meat along with quite a bit of broth. I'll put some Great Northern Beans (white beans) out to soak over night and take the lamb out of the freezer the night before so it can thaw in the fridge. Put the lamb (bone and all) and the broth in a large pot. Add a large can of chopped tomatoes, two cups of red wine, and additional liquid if needed into the pot and let it simmer most of the day. About 2 hours before dinner, put in the soaked beans and a chopped onion, plus several cloves of crushed garlic. About half an hour before dinner, pull the meat off the bone and chop up any large pieces (toss the bone). Return to the pot and simmer. Add a chopped zucchini and a chopped yellow squash about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with a gluten free bread (toasted bagels come to mind...Glutano and Kinnikinnik make good bagels) and a tossed salad.

Saturday: Ham fried rice, chicken salad rolls. The Chicken Rolls are rice paper (gluten free) wrappers, soaked in water and stuffed with chopped boiled chicken, lightly cooked (crisp-tender) red cabbage, scallions, and soaked mung bean noodles (also gluten free!). Serve with a sauce made of gluten-free chili sauce, creamy peanut butter, gluten-free soy sauce, and a bit of rice vinegar.

Sunday: Barbecued chicken breasts, steamed Kale, baked potatoes. Kraft is good about marking anything that has gluten, most of their barbecue sauces are safe (but always read the label first!)

Enjoy!

[jerseyangel]

Yum!!

Glad to see you back--hope everything goes smoothly from now on out!

[Ahorsesoul]

Glad to see you back! Take all the time off you need to stay healthy.

[Puddy]

You didn't do this just for me did you!!!??? Thanks, Rissa! Hope things are on the mend.

[purple]

We missed you! Glad you are feeling better! Thanks for posting your yummy menus!

[Sweetfudge]

Welcome back! That ham and pea soup sounds really good! I'm gonna have to try that one this weekend

[nasalady]

I've had a tough couple of months dealing with health issues again (I'm doing ok...just dealing with stuff that's probably always been going on but is just now getting diagnosed). Plus, Mondays got very busy and also we've been on a rice-and bean type budget by and large lately (who wants a week's worth of *that* sort of menu?!?)...anyway, enough excuses. I've missed doing the menus! If you have questions on anything, let me know...

Rissa, so glad to see your menu back!! But everyone understands about both health issues AND being busy! Please don't feel that you have to apologize for anything....

Everything looks really yummy! And who says people don't want to see beans and rice recipes!! I LOVE beans and rice, and if you have any really creative ways to prepare them (and knowing you, I bet you do) everyone would be really grateful if you shared. In this economy, there are PLENTY of people who are on a beans-and-rice budget.