As Lesson in Shelf Life of Gluten-free Products

So you know how most homemade products with gluten in them can last on the counter for about a week or so and still taste fine? Yeah... it doesn't work that way with gluten-free. Why yes, I did learn this the hard way.

An unusual thing occurred this last weekend when a single blueberry muffin lasted in a container on my counter for about 3-4 days. And by "lasted," I mean it was not eaten that day or the next day, which is what almost always happens.

I believe I made the muffins on Friday morning. So come Monday morning, I was looking for something to have for breakfast. I was thinking about making another batch of muffins, but I figured I might as well eat up that last muffin first. It looked okay (though I probably should have taken it as a bad sign that there were a few fruit flies hanging around it), so I took a bite.

It is difficult to describe to you how NASTY spoiled food tastes, other than to say it was the second most disgusting thing I have ever tasted in my life. The first most disgusting came from a very similar situation, where I tried a bite of gluten-free cornbread that had been sitting out on my parents' counter (though covered) for about 4-5 days. Cornbread lasts at least about that long, right? Haha... WRONG. Not gluten-free cornbread, anyway. I felt bad for practically spewing it back out and immediately rinsing out my mouth right in front of my mom (who had just told me the bread should be fine), but folks... it was NASTY!!!! Rancid would be a better word. Given another 24 hours, that muffin probably would have equaled if not surpassed the cornbread in nastiness.

So the moral of this story is: if you will eat your homemade gluten-free goods within about 24 hours, you're fine. Maybe 36... I'm pretty sure I've eaten some things the following night after I made something one morning. But any longer than that, PLEASE do yourself a favor and refrigerate it!!! I hear it should last about 4-5 days in the fridge. I kept a coffee cake in the fridge for a week, and it was okay (though a bit dry), but since muffins are a bit more moist, I wouldn't advise keeping them that long.

Just eat your muffins up, kids.

Four-Bean Taco Chili

I can't believe it's been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted. Oops.

I also can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. It has been one of my favorites for several years, and was the only chili recipe I used until I discovered the turkey chili that I posted a while back. As you may have noticed with that recipe, I believe that chili should contain beans. But it should also contain a good portion of meat. This chili does both just right. It does not have the nice variety of vegetables that the other one contains, but it is still delicious and hearty. And I LOVE how quickly it comes together (around 20 minutes from start to finish). I often like to serve it mixed with brown rice, but it tastes great alone, too!

FOUR-BEAN TACO CHILI

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce

2 c. water

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 oz.) tomato paste

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles (optional)

2 tsp. each cumin, chili powder, and salt

Directions:

In a large pot, brown and drain beef. Combine all ingredients in pot. Boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 min.

Pizza Toast

I have often felt that my kids have somehow been missing out on a part of life because they have never eaten pizza. Growing up, my parents would get pizza for lunch almost every Sunday, so pizza and childhood seem to some degree intertwined for me. (Not to mention the fact that, as a teenager, I would eat frozen pizza several times a week for lunch as well. *cringe* I seriously can't believe how bad my diet was back then...)

Anyway, I was pushing my 2-year-old on the swing today and asking her what she would like for lunch. Jelly sandwich (on gluten-free bread)? No. Lunch meat snack plate? No. (Those were the only two readily available choices, so I started getting silly.) Pickles? No. Salami? No. Pizza? Yes! Hmm... well... ???

The real problem with giving my girls pizza, however, is not the dough -- I can make a gluten-free crust if I need to. The real problem is the cheese. Everyone in our family except for me has issues with dairy, and since I am still nursing my youngest, I stay mostly away from it for her sake. Fortunately, though, none of us are extremely allergic or sensitive, so I do occasionally let my girls have a little bit of something with diary -- like a handful of normal chocolate chips or M&M's. I think perhaps theirs is more of a lactose intolerance.

With this in mind, I remembered that I had some Kashkaval sheep cheese in the freezer. I don't know much about it, but it is semi-hard and tastes tangy and somewhat sweet, similar to cheddar. And -- who am I kidding? -- the only reason I bought it was because it was made from sheep instead of cows, so it has less lactose. So I figured I'd try some on a little "pizza." And remarkably, it worked even better than I'd hoped. It had seemed a little strong when I'd tried it on other things before, but against the tomatoey sauce, it balanced quite nicely. Mmm... I want more...

So anyway, if you can have dairy, you are one of the lucky ones. If you can have just a little dairy, or some form of non-cow dairy, you are in luck with this recipe. If you can't have dairy at all, I am so sorry... you'll have to have yours without cheese. (Unless you can stand soy "cheese"... ick.)

PIZZA TOAST

Ingredients:

4 thin slices gluten-free bread (I used fresh-baked Pamela's)

1/4 c. tomato paste

1/4 c. ketchup

1 c. Kashkaval sheep cheese (approx.)

garlic powder

Italian seasoning

ham, fresh veggies, or other toppings (optional)

Directions:

Lay bread on a cookie sheet. (I may toast it first next time.) Mix ketchup and tomato paste; distribute between the pieces of bread and coat evenly. Sprinkle each piece of bread with a light dusting of garlic powder; repeat with Italian seasoning. Add cheese and toppings. Set on middle-to-low rack of over and broil on high (500º) for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings begin to look toasted.

Note: I only used ham for topping this time, but if I use fresh veggies next time, I will likely sautee them for a couple minutes so as not to let them stay too raw for my taste.

So to conclude my story, my girls tasted "pizza" for the first time today. My 2-year-old liked it pretty well, and my almost-4-year-old claimed she liked it, but only picked the topping off a few pieces. Sad to say, even in the case of one of my favorite childhood dishes, their will is usually fixed against liking (or sometimes even trying) anything new. :-p

Lentil Soup

I tend to make a lot of meals based around meat. Since my husband is trying to reduce his meat consumption, however, I have started to try to make more meatless meals. Fortunately, I already had this recipe in my back pocket. It is a snap to put together, and I always forget how delicious it is until I taste it again. Simple, but satisfying. It also makes a great freezer meal.

And just FYI, the portion in the bowl below may look a little small (at least compared to some of the other portions I've pictured), this was actually my second bowl of it last night... I forgot to take a picture of the first.

LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils

6 cups water or broth*

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery (I often use a little extra)

1/2 c. chopped carrots (ditto)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 diced tomatoes or one (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

salt & pepper to taste*

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let simmer, covered, for one hour or until lentils are soft.

*I normally use half water, half broth, and add 1 tsp. salt. Pepper is easier to do "to taste," I think, and less of a problem if you guess wrong. :-)

Chicken Veggie Pasta

I have tried this dish a few different times, and I think I have finally hit upon a formula with which I am pleased. Of course, my children refused to touch it (as they do with most new dishes), but 2-and-3-year-olds are not the easiest to please. *I* liked it anyway. I guess my husband will be the judge when he gets home to eat the leftovers... And you can let me know how you like (or dislike) it if you happen to try it. ;-)

**Update: My husband gave it an "I would definitely eat this again." He is not picky, but this about as effusive as it gets from him. ;-)

CHICKEN VEGGIE PASTA

Ingredients:

1 16-oz. bag rice pasta (I used rotini)*

1 recipe Creamy Soup (cream of chicken variation)

1 cup frozen peas, cooked

2-3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli

4-5 medium carrots, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, remembering to salt the water generously. Rinse pasta with cold water.

2. In separate pots, boil or steam broccoli and carrots until tender but not mushy.

3. Make Creamy Soup, cream of chicken variation, using 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken. Add peas to soup.

4. Place pasta in a large bowl or casserole dish. Add soup mixture and stir to combine. Add veggies and mix well. If you do not have dairy allergies, a bit of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese sprinkled on top of this dish would do nicely.

Makes 6 servings.

*Note: If you are a non-gluten-free eater using recipes from this blog, you may want to reduce the amount of pasta used in this recipe. Pasta with gluten seems to swell a lot more than rice pasta, hence yielding more of the cooked product. I would use maybe 2/3 to 3/4 of a 1 lb. bag, or enough pasta to make about 6 servings.

Creamy Soup

Recipes will often use a cream-of-whatever soup as a base, which can be problematic for the gluten-free and/or dairy-free eater. After trying a couple store-bought soups and a few of my own recipes, I finally stumbled upon one that I love -- where else? -- in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, as part of their "Deep Dish Chicken Pie" recipe. Of course, I had to alter a few ingredients, but I have successfully used this super-simple base in several dishes so far, and I like it better than anything else I've tried.

CREAMY SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbs. butter

1 c. mushrooms (optional)

1/2 to 1 small onion (optional)

1/2 to 1 c. celery (optional)

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. milk or milk substitute (I've used rice and soy milk successfully)

1/3 c. rice flour

1 tsp. spice mix of choice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and saute veggies until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add flour, spice, salt, and pepper; stir till well mixed. Add broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 1-3 minutes.

Variations:

* For cream of mushroom soup, use 1 c. mushrooms, up to 1 small onion, and 1/2 c. celery for veggies, and 1/2 tsp. thyme + 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning for spices.

* For cream of chicken soup, use up to 1 small onion and 3/4 c. celery for veggies, and 3/4 tsp. sage + 1/4 tsp. thyme or marjoram for spices. Add 1 to 2 cups chopped cooked chicken to finished soup and heat through.

Mexican Skillet Rice

Pardon my absence... It has been a busy week or two with an anniversary, relatives coming into town, and then traveling out of town with the family for a last-minute 5-day vacation. *ahem* Anyway...

I tried this recipe out of Taste of Home magazine a couple weeks ago, and it was quite delicious! I will definitely be making it again.

MEXICAN SKILLET RICE

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten (optional)

1 lb. chicken breasts or tenderloins, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups cooked rice (jasmine or long grain suggested, I used brown)

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. frozen corn, cooked*

1 jar (7 oz.) roasted sweet red peppers, drained and sliced

1 jar (8 oz.) taco sauce**

2 green onions, chopped (optional... I left these out)

1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. (If omitting the egg, skip to step 2. I used it, but it really didn't add much... I'll probably omit it next time.) In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir egg over medium-high heat until set. Remove and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken and onion in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, beans, corn, peppers, taco sauce, and green onions; heat through. Stir in the reserved egg. Sprinkle the rice with cilantro.

Serves 6.

* Original recipe calls for 1 can (11 oz.) Mexicorn, drained. I already had the frozen corn on hand, so I used that instead, and I doubt it made any difference.

** I found a basic brand with no gluten ingredients listed. I can't guarantee that every brand will be gluten-free, but I doubt there would be a problem with a product like this as long as no gluten ingredients are listed.