Simple Gluten Free Crepes

Crepes are a great way to make an ordinary meal extra special or fancy!  Omit the sugar and vanilla for a savory crepe...  As for the filling, the sky's the limit ;)

Ingredients:

•  1 ¼ c. milk (coconut/rice)

•  2 large eggs

•  2 T. oil

•  1 c. flour blend (equal parts brown rice, sorghum, and tapioca)

•  ½ t. salt

•  1 t. sugar (opt)

•  ½ t. vanilla (opt)

•  1/8 t. baking powder

Directions:

Pour milk, egg, and oil into a blender and turn on low.  Combine dry ingredients together in separate bowl, then add to blender.  Blend until smooth.  Heat skillet over medium high heat.  Add a little oil and evenly coat bottom of pan.  Pour ¼ c. batter into heated skillet.  Swirl until bottom of pan is covered.  Cook crepe for 1 minute, then gently flip to other side and cook just until golden.

Cajun Beans & Rice

This meal is hearty and tasty, and just overall satisfying.  Enjoy!

Adapted from My Food Storage Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 lb black beans
• 1/2 large onion, chopped -or- 4 T. dried onions
• 1/2 c. green bell pepper, chopped -or- 1/4 c. dehydrated
• 1 t. celery seeds
• 1.5 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. garlic salt
• 1/2 t. Worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 t. hot sauce
• 1 T. beef bouillon
• 1/4 c. bacon bits
• 4 chicken sausages, sliced
• 1 t. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 t. creole seasoning
• 4 c. water

Directions:

     Sort and rinse beans.  Place in a large soup pot and cover with water.  Allow to soak overnight; or bring to a boil for 2 minutes on the stove, then cover and let sit for 1 hour.  Drain beans well.  Add prepared beans and remaining ingredients, including the 4 c. clean water.  Stir well and bake in oven at 275 for 3 hours, or in a crockpot on low for 8 hours.  Serve warm over a bowl of rice, and a side salad.

Orange Chicken/Beef (food storage version)

I would like to play with this recipe a bit more...  Not sure how I feel about the green chilies, and it could definitely use more of a sweeter orange flavor.  I'll keep you posted!

Adapted from My Food Storage Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 T. coconut oil
• 2 cans of chicken/beef, drained
• 1 can of mushrooms, drained
• 1 small can green chiles (opt)
• 1 c. dehydrated stir-fry veggies
• 3 T. soy sauce
• 3-4 T. brown sugar/molasses
• 2-4 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. bouillon
• 2 T. dried orange peel
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 1/2 t. garlic
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes (opt)
• 3/4 t. sesame seeds (opt)
• 1 1/2 c. rice/quinoa
• 4 c. water

Directions:

     Place all of the ingredients into a crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or until rice/quinoa is cooked.  Serve warm with a side salad.

Quick Clam Chowder (food storage version)

My kids are obsessed with clam chowder!  And frankly, I don't blame them.  Unfortunately, the cream doesn't please our tummies as much as our palates...  So I figured I'd experiment with coconut milk, because heck, it's pretty creamy.  Imagine my delight when it worked fabulously!  Now I have happy kids with happy stomachs :)

Adapted from My Food Storage Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. bacon bits
• 2 T. butter/oil
• 2 T. dried onions
• 2 T. flour blend
• 14 oz clam broth
• 2 cans clams, with liquid
• 1 can whole potatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 t. celery seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper, to taste
• dash of nutmeg

Directions:

     In medium soup pot, saute bacon bits over medium heat until crisp.  Add butter and onions.  Once butter has melted, stir in flour and cook for a minute or two.  Add clam broth to roux and whisk until smooth.  Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a low simmer.  Serve warm with biscuits or cornbread.

Summers' Shepherd Pie

This is one of my husband's favorite meals from childhood, and I usually only make it for his birthday...  I grew up with a VERY different version of shepherd's pie, so it's always "confusing" for me when I make it.  But I do like it, too.  Just probably not as much as my husband ;)

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb. ground meat, cooked -or- 1 c. TVP, rehydrated in 1 c. beef broth
• 1 T. dried onions
• 1-2 cans of mushrooms, drained
• 2 cans green beans, drained -or- 2-3 c. frozen -or- 1 c. dried, rehdyrated in chicken broth
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup*
• 1 t. mustard (opt)
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 small bag of tater tots
• cheese (opt)

Directions:

     Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole dish, except tater tots and cheese, and mix well.  Top with tater tots and bake in preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes at 350.  Add an even layer of cheese and bake/broil until melted.  Serve warm with a side salad.

*Note: I generally make one batch of cream of whatever soup with (rice)milk and then another batch with chicken/beef broth, for a total of two cans' worth of soup.

Pad Thai

I personally lovvve Thai food, even when it calls for stinky fish sauce ;)  This can easily be converted to a vegan-friendly recipe by omitting the egg and shrimp in favor of using tofu (which I have done and quite enjoyed).  Just make sure to use prepared tofu, either cubed or thrown in a food processor until crumbly.  Feel free to add more veggies as desired, as well.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package pad thai rice noodles
• 2 T. coconut oil
• 1-3 eggs, scrambled (opt)
• 1.5 T. dried onions, rehydrated
• 4 T. fish sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 t. paprika
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 can bean sprouts, drained
• 1/4 c. - 1/2 c. ground peanuts
• 1 c. cooked/canned shrimp OR tofu
• handful of spinach, chopped (opt)
• cilantro (opt)
• 2 limes

Directions:

     Soak rice noodles in warm water for 30-45 minutes.  Heat 1 T. oil in large saucepan.  Add egg and cook either as an egg pancake or scrambled.  Remove egg, and chop if needed/desired.  Add remaining oil to pan, adding rehydrated onion once oil is hot.  Stir onion around the pan a few times before adding shrimp (if using).  Lightly salt shrimp while cooking, then remove from pan.  Drain rice sticks well and add to skillet.  Stir fry noodles until transclucent, adding 2-4 T. water as needed.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Continue to cook until liquid is gone.  Serve warm and garnish with cilantro.  Slice limes and allow individuals to squeeze juice according to personal taste.

Combo Tacos (food storage version)

Not only is this recipe more food storage friendly, it's also vegan!  Well, almost.  If you used veggie broth, then it totally would be...  I actually prefer these tacos to the original, and hopefully you will too :)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. TVP, rehydrated in 1 c. beef broth
• 1/2 c. brown rice, cooked in 1 c. beef broth
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 T. dried onions, rehydrated (opt)
• 2 T. taco seasoning

Directions:

     Combine ingredients in saucepan; add 2-4 T. of water and simmer until liquid is gone.  Serve warm in tortillas/shells, or with tortilla chips, with desired condiments.

Teriyaki Chicken II (food storage version)

I think I might prefer this version to the other...  And this sauce makes for a great marinade!  You can also make this dish in the oven, or on the stove-top and just cook the rice separately.  There's a lot of ways to modify this recipe (see notes below), and I end up making it all the time with chicken thighs and fresh vegetables.  But for now I'll share the more food storage friendly version :)

Ingredients:

• 2-4 T. coconut/avocado oil (2 T. for crock, 4 T. for marinade)
• 1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
• 2 T. ketchup
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 5 t. brown sugar
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 1/2 t. sesame seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic -or- 2 t. garlic powder
• 2 cans of chicken, with liquid
• 3 c. chicken broth*
• 1 c. rice
• 1 c. dried veggies
• 1 can mushrooms, drained

Directions:

     Combine ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 hours or until rice is tender.

Notes: If you choose to use fresh/frozen vegetables (1 lb) in place of dried vegetables, decrease broth to 1 cup.  You can use 6-8 chicken thighs in place of canned chicken, but you should probably reduce the rice to 3/4 c. unless your chicken is frozen.  I guess it depends on how saucey you want your meal to be!  You can also omit the rice altogether and then thicken the sauce with cornstarch in a separate saucepan.  However you choose to prepare it, enjoy!  *B

Sloppy Fauxs

I'll have you know that my carnivore husband had two servings of this, and my carnivore son practically licked his plate clean.  If it weren't for the beef broth, this meal would be vegan!  Food storage for the win ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. TVP, redhydrated in 1 c. beef broth
• 1/2 c. brown rice, cooked in 1 c. beef broth w/ 1 T. dried onion
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 2 t. steak/mesquite seasoning
• 1/4 - 1/2 c. chopped roasted bell peppers (from a jar)
• 1 can mushrooms, drained and finely chopped
• 2 T. chopped walnuts (opt)
• 1 T. Worchestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 c. marinara/tomato sauce
• 2 T. tomato paste
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

     Combine ingredients in medium saucepan and stir well; heat through.  Serve warm with buns or pita bread, with a side of spiced fries or green salad.

Smoky Black Beans

These are so versatile, and so tasty!  And easy to boot!    I serve these on top of tostadas, over chips, as a filling for burritos or tacos, etc.  Or serve as a side dish with chicken and rice.  Shoot, they're even good on top of toast!  For reals.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, with liquid
• 2 T. salsa
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. beef/veggie bouillon

Directions:

     Combine ingredients in saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Mash/puree beans to desired consistency.  Serve warm or cold.

Tostadas

These are bonehead simple.  So there.

Ingredients:
  • 1 can refried beans -or- smoky black beans
  • salsa
  • tostadas OR tortilla chips

Directions:
1.  Combine refried beans with a splash or two of salsa in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir well and remove from heat.
2.  Top tostadas/chips with beans and your choice of toppings.

Bayou Chicken Pasta

This isn't your typical pasta dish...  At least not the kind of pasta I'm used to!  But it is really, really tasty.  And pretty gosh dang simple, too.  With a lot of flavor and just the right amount of heat, it's sure to satisfy your taste buds and grumbling tummy.

Adapted from My Food Storage Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 T. coconut oil
• 1/4 large onion, chopped -or- 2 T. dried onion, rehdyrated
• 2 T. canned green chiles
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 can chicken, drained
• 1 T. creole seasoning
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. brown sugar
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 1 c. water
• 2 t. chicken bouillon
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese (add more as desired)
• 1 handful chopped spinach -or- 1 can spinach, drained
• 2 c. penne or bowtie pasta

Directions:

   Melt oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion, garlic and green chiles.  Add chicken and spices; stir in tomatoes.  Add coconut milk, water and bouillon.  Stir in pasta and spinach and simmer until pasta is al dente, stirring continually so noodles cook evenly.  Top with cheese and stir until well mixed and sauce thickens.

Farmhouse Cornbread

This is my all-time favorite cornbread recipe!  I make it in a 9x9 pan or in muffin tins (both normal and mini).  They freeze and reheat well, so make a large batch when you can.  I've made this so many times, and it always turns out amazingly well.  Slather it up with honey butter and eat alongside a warm bowl of soup for lunch/dinner, or top with jam and then serve with eggs for breakfast.  Either way, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. cornmeal
• 3/4 c. flour (equal parts sorghum, tapioca and brown rice flour)
• 4 t. baking powder
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 t. xanthan gum (unless using a GF flour mix that already has it listed as an ingredient)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. milk (DF of your choice)
• 1/4 c. applesauce
• 1/2 c. frozen corn -or- 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed

Directions:

     Mix together dry ingredients and set aside.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and applesauce.  Stir in the dry ingredients, then fold the corn into the batter.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes for muffins, 30-45 minutes for larger pan.

Split Pea Soup

I seriously LOVE soup!  All you need are a few ingredients to make an easy and filling meal.  And I love using ham hock for soups.  I've hardly had to even buy ham hocks, because I always end up going home from some large social gathering with a few ham bones.  I never understand why people throw out such a meaty bone after carving up a ham...  They add so much flavor and depth to a large pot of soup.  So the next time you find yourself with a large hock, don't throw it away!  Save it for something souper ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 c. split peas, sorted and rinsed
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 4 c. water
• 1 large and meaty ham bone -or- 1 c. bacon bits, or 1-2 cans of ham with liquid
• 2 T. dried onions
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. thyme
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. brown sugar
• 3 carrots, sliced -or- 1 can carrots, drained
• 2 celery stalks, sliced -or- 1 t. celery seeds

Directions:

     Combine all the ingredients in a large soup pot.  Cover and bake for 3 hours at 275 degrees.  Remove from oven.  Carefully remove the bone, cut off the meat and dice; set aside.  Using a hand blender, blend soup until smooth.  Return meat to soup and stir well.  Serve warm with farmhouse cornbread and honey butter.

Fajita Bowls

I love a good fajita!  Especially in warm tortillas, mmm.  However, sometimes a bowl of rice really hits the spot...  I prefer to cook my rice in broth for extra flavor.  As for all the veggies, fresh is always best.  But if you want something fast, canned or frozen/dehydrated vegetables work great in this recipe.

Ingredients:

     • 2 T. olive/coconut oil

     • 1 can of chicken/beef (do NOT drain)

     • 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

     • 1 small package of frozen peppers & onion mix*

     • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

     • 1/2 - 2 teaspoons chili powder (depending on how potent your chili powder is and how spicy you like it)

     • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

     • 1/2 teaspoon salt

     • 1 teaspoon paprika

     • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

     • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

     • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

     Combine cornstarch and spices in a bowl and set aside.  Heat oil in a medium-large skillet.  Cook vegetables before adding spices; toss to coat.  Add chicken/beef with liquid and stir to combine.  Serve warm over prepared rice with salsa, cheese, and sour cream (or plain yogurt).

Note: Peppers and onions particularly dry well, straight from bag to dehydrator!  No blanching or prep work needed.  And then when you're ready for dinner, rehydrate them in water/broth and cook up as you normally would.  Make sure to give yourself enough water (about 2 c. water for every 1 c. dried veggies) and enough time (up to two hours).

Coq Sans Vin (food storage version)

So, I have a pretty cool story behind this recipe.  Well, I think it's cool...  Anyway, I was fretting all week about converting one of my all time favorite meals (Coq Sans Vin) into something that would work for food storage and I just kept drawing blanks on ideas.  I mean, how can you turn a fabulous French meal into something using canned food???  I was almost embarrassed for even considering it!

But then this morning, I woke up with a dream fresh in my mind and suddenly I had an idea: make chicken patties with canned chicken.  Talk about answered prayers, because it totally worked!  Now, mind you, this version doesn't even hold a candle to the original.  But, BUT, it will suffice in times of emergency.  And for that reason I am calling it a miraculous success ;)

Ingredients:

     • prepared chicken patties

     • ¼ c. bacon bits

     • 1 T. flour (GF fine)

     • 2 c. chicken broth

     • 1 T. apple cider vinegar

     • 1 T. dried onions

     • 1/4 t. garlic & herb

     • 1/2 t. salt

     • 1/2 t. dried sage

     • 1 bay leaf

     • 1 large can whole carrots, drained*

     • 1 can mushrooms, drained 

Directions:

     Once chicken patties are transferred to warm oven, add bacon to the hot skillet used for preparing the patties.  Cook until crisp.  Add flour and stir, cooking for 1 minute.  Add vinegar and chicken broth a cup at a time, whisking until a thin gravy forms.  Add remaining ingredients and stir; turn heat to low and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and serve over prepared mashed potatoes and chicken patties.  Goes great with sweet & savory green beans!

Note: I'm pretty sure dehydrated carrots would be far superior in this than canned.  So that's my next experiment: cook with more dehydrated food.  And I'm pretty dang excited about the prospect of dehydrating frozen food!  Makes me giddy just thinking about it.  *B

Simple Chicken Patties

Not a whole lot to this, really...  Would make a great burger, goes well with a slew of sauces and sides, and pretty dang versatile if you consider all the potential seasoning options.  And it easily converts to a dairy/gluten free friendly meal.  Also, yay food storage!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of chicken, drained
• 2 large eggs
• 4 T. milk
• 1 T. dried onion
• 2 c. bread crumbs (3 slices of bread)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• thyme, to taste
• 4 T. coconut oil

Directions:

     In small bowl, add 1 T. water to dried onion to rehydrate; set aside.  Beat egg and milk in large mixing bowl.  Add rehydrated onion and remaining ingredients, except oil, and stir well until combined.  Form mixture into 6-8 patties, according to desired size.  Melt 1-2 T. oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add 3-4 patties to hot pan and fry for 4 minutes on each side.  Transfer to oven to keep warm.  Add extra oil as needed to pan and cook remaining patties.  Serve warm.

Whole Millet Pancakes

My mother in law makes these with whole spelt, and they are amazing!  So light and fluffy...  But since we try to avoid gluten, we make these with whole millet instead.  Still just as tasty :)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. whole millet/spelt

• 1 c. milk (DF milks work well)

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 c. applesauce OR 1 banana, pureed

• 1 T. honey OR maple syrup

• ½ t. salt

• 1 T. baking powder

• 2 T. ground flax

Directions:

1.   Soak millet/spelt in 2 c. water for 8 hours.

2.   Drain millet/spelt; add ingredients to blender and blend till smooth.

3.   Heat pan over medium heat, grease with butter or coconut oil, and add ¼ c. batter; cook until bubbles start to form.  Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Most people I know love haystacks.  But everyone has their own opinion on what makes a good stack.  I grew up having completely different toppings from the hub, and if you do a search on the interwebs, you'll quickly see that everyone makes them their own special way.  Which is one of the reasons I love them!  Totally customizable, and very kid friendly.  And this, my friends, is how we stack.

Ingredients:

• 4 T. butter/spread
• 4 T. flour (2 T. brown rice flour + 2 T. tapioca/potato flour)
• 2 c. chicken/vegetable broth
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 2 cans chicken, drained
• prepared rice
• celery, finely chopped
• green onions, thinkly sliced
• red bell pepper, finely chopped
• chow mein noodles
• pineapple chunks
• sliced almonds
• coconut

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  As butter begins to brown, add flour and stir.  Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
2. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, 1 c. at a time.  Allow to thicken before adding more broth and whisk well.  Simmer until desired consistency.
3. Add in chicken and heat through.  Remove from heat.
4. Serve gravy over prepared rice.  Top with desired toppings and dig in!

As a little side note, this makes for a great food storage meal.  But if you'd rather use cooked chicken (or none at all), feel free.  I know a lot of people use canned chicken soup as their gravy base, and truth be told, so did I.  That's how my mom made it, and then we would add the soy sauce individually.  I stopped buying canned soup a while ago, so while making my own gravy from scratch I decided to add the soy sauce to it directly rather than as its own topping.  Between that and the added garlic and ginger, this gravy really has a great flavor that blends perfectly with the listed toppings.  Reminds me of the islands ;)

But if you grew up eating haystacks with olives, or tomatoes, then you might want to omit the soy sauce and ginger.  Feel free to experiment and make it your own...  Because that's what makes haystacks so great!  *B

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

I found this recipe a while ago, and now I can't find it anywhere...  I made some modifications to the original version, and now it's one of our family's favorites!  It always hits the spot.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chicken/vegetable broth
• 1 cup carrot juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 small bunch asparagus, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 small yellow squash, chopped
• 4-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 handfuls spinach, chopped (opt)
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped (opt)
• 1 cup chickpeas/canellini beans, drained and rinsed (opt)

Directions:

1. Combine quinoa with broth, carrot juice and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is translucent. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
2. While quinoa simmers, preheat oven to 425. Toss prepared veggies with olive oil, and salt/pepper to taste. Roast in oven for 12-15 minutes.
3. Add roasted vegetables, spinach, almonds and white beans to cooked quinoa. Toss to coat or until well combined. Enjoy!

You can use whatever vegetables you want, and as many or as few as you wish.  Green beans work well, as does broccoli.  This makes for a wonderful side dish, and the addition of almonds and beans makes it a great vegan meal.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  *B