Christmas Dinner 2015

It was great to be with my kids and grandkids today! We had lots of food and lots of presents and great fellowship!

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1 box King Arthur Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix*
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I didn’t use nuts)

GLAZE

• 4 ounces of cream cheese, soften
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a full size (12-cup) Bundt or tube pan.
2. To make the cake: Place the cake mix in a bowl. Beat in the oil, vanilla, and 1 egg.
3. Add the remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the water 1/3 at a time, beating until smooth and scraping the bowl after each addition.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
6. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with perhaps crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter.
7. Remove the cake from the oven, and after 15 minutes turn it out onto a rack.
8. To make the glaze: beat cream cheese until creamy, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add milk and beat, add lemon juice and vanilla. Can add more milk if you want it thinner.
9. Transfer the cake to a serving plate; if it’s still a bit warm, that’s OK.
10. Spoon the glaze over the cake, covering it as thoroughly as possible. Reheat the glaze briefly if it becomes too thick to pour.
11. Yield: 1 large cake, about 16 servings.

Oatmeal Pancakes and Blueberry Compote

Yield: 12 pancakes

Ingredients

1  1/4 cups rolled oats

2 cups nonfat milk

1 eggs or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons Splenda sugar substitute

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine oats and milk and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

(You can also process this in a blender for a smoother consistency).

Stir in egg, flour, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar substitute, oil, and salt.

Whisk until smooth.

Let batter stand for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle; spray with cooking spray.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto skillet or griddle; cook until the top starts to bubble and the bottom is browned.

Turn and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Serve Blueberry Compote over the Pancakes, delicious!!

Blueberry Compote

1 pint blueberries, washed and stemmed

1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a ¼ cup water

¼ cup Splenda or whatever type of sweeter you prefer

Mix Splenda into Cornstarch mixture and cook together for a few minutes. May have to add more water but try not to add too much. Add blueberries and heat. Serve over pancakes.

Chicken Burrito Bowls (very good)

1  1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1  1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

Pinch of garlic powder

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

Olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn cut off the cob

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups cooked brown rice

Avocado, cilantro, and lime juice for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly over chicken pieces.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook through. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

If necessary, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and add the onion, pepper, and corn. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp tender, about 7 minutes. Add the black beans and heat through.

Layer rice, bean mixture, and chicken in a bowl and top with avocado, cilantro, and lime juice if desired.

Arlon’s Cole Slaw Dressing

1 cup mayo

3 Tbsp. mustard

Squirt of Zatarine’s mustard

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

1 Tbsp. Splenda

Mix all together! Serve over chopped cabbage. You can add raisins if you want but since we are watching carbs we did not.

Guacamole (Arlon’s)

2 avocados

½ tomato, chopped

¼ yellow onion, chopped finely

1 whole jalapeno, deveined, chopped

½ tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp or the juice of 1 Lemon or Lime

Peel very ripe avocado put in bowl, add onion, jalapeno and lime juice mash together.

Add tomatoes and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste! Yummy!!!

Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe (very good)

Ingredients

3-­4 Tomatoes, diced

½ Red Onion, diced

¼ Jalapeno, diced

5­-7 stems of Cilantro

Juice of 1 Lime

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

1. Chop the cilantro finely and add to chopped onion, tomato and Jalapeno.
2. Gently stir in salt and squeeze juice of lime over the top.
3. Stir until incorporated but careful not to smash the tomatoes.
4. Place in fridge for about an hour to marinade the ingredients together.
5. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 8

1 pound of chicken breast, trimmed and butterflied or you can buy a roasted chicken and debone it and use that chicken for a quick meal

2 cans diced tomatos with juice (no added salt)

1 yellow onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cartons chicken broth (6 total cups), low sodium (more or less depending on how much liquid you like in your soup)

1 avocado, peeled, pit removed, and diced

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

2 tablespoons cumin (less if you don’t like spicy)

1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

1 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoons cayenne pepper

In a large stock pot, saute onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil until onion becomes translucent. Lower the temperature to medium and add tomatoes, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper. (If you like, you can add corn, bell peppers, squash or other veggies.) Add chicken and broth and cook until chicken is done (about 20 minutes). Shred chicken in pot and add avocado 10 minutes before serving. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or tortilla strips.

News

Arlon and I are trying to eat a more healthy diet now so I am trying all kinds of new recipes! I will start posting some of those recipes. Hope you enjoy. We are eating mostly low carb so my recipes will be that. I have lost 30 pounds since April 15, 2015. We also are taking Plexus for health as well as helps get your blood sugars in line and helps also with weight lost.

Amish Casserole

1 pound of ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1/4 cup water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Salt & Pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 ounces of egg noodles

1/3 cup milk

1 pkg.(16 slices) Velveeta Cheese slices

1 Tablespoon butter

Brown ground meat and onions, drain off grease. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add tomato soup, water and brown sugar. Set aside. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Drain noodles. In pot where you cooked noodles, add cream of chicken soup, milk and butter and cheese. Melt this all together and then add cooked noodles. Place noodle mixture into a 9×13 greased casserole dish. Spread hamburger mixture over this, do not stir. Bake covered at 325 for 1 hour. Uncover the last 10 minutes. Make sure it is bubbling. Remember do not stir layers.

Enjoy!

 

 

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

 1/2 cup butter, softened

 3/4 cup sugar

 1 egg

 2 cups flour

 2 tsp baking powder

 1/2 tsp salt

 1/2 cup milk

 1/2 tsp vanilla

 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

 3 tsp sugar

 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture. Add vanilla. Gently stir in strawberries.

 Spoon batter into muffin pans.

 Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

 Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes.

 Makes one dozen muffins.