Shepherds Pie

There really is no better comfort food than Shepherds Pie.  It's easy and filling, and just an all round easy to please everyone type of dish.

I decided to see what I could come up with, using a bag of Original CheeCha Puffs, and it actually turned out really good!  My family loved the crunch factor!

*Dairy, Soy, Egg, Nut and Gluten Free*

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds lean ground beef (or meat alternative)
1/2-1 onion, chopped finely

1-2 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen (all I had was corn, but carrots and peas would be wonderful too.)

4-5 potatoes (more or less, depending how thick you want the "crust")
4 Tbsp butter or margarine (we use Earth Balance Soy Free)

1/2 cup beef broth (check ingredients on the brand you use)

1 tsp worcestershire sauce (we use Lea & Perrins brand)

1/2 bag CheeCha Puffs, original flavor, crushed.  (I put them in a cloth bag and smooshed them with my hands.)

Salt and Pepper, to taste
Pinch of paprika

Grated cheese (we use Daiya, cheddar style shreds)

Instructions:

Boil peeled potatoes, once cooked, add in 2 tbsp butter and mash.  Set aside.  

In large frying pan,  melt 2 tbsp butter and brown the ground beef.  Drain off any fat.  Put ground beef back into the pan, add in onion and any vegetables.  I would suggest if you're using fresh carrots, that you steam them prior to using them or they might not be cooked through.  

Add worcestershire sauce into the pan, as well as the beef broth.  If you find your meat mixture getting dry, you can add more broth than what's called for in the recipe.  Simmer over low heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in salt and pepper.

In a casserole dish, place beef and veggie mixture.  Spoon mashed potatoes on top, and spread out to cover the meat and veggie mixture.  I find it's easiest to spread and flatten the potatoes using a fork.

Add a layer of grated cheese on top of the potatoes, as well as the crushed up CheeCha Puffs.  I took my pinch (which actually was probably a few pinches) of paprika, to add some color.

Everything is cooked already, so all you're really doing at this point is heating it all up, melting the cheese and browning the wonderfully crunchy topping you've added.

Bake in a 400F oven for 15-30 minutes, keeping an eye open to make sure nothing burns.

In the past, I've browned  the potatoes simply by putting the oven on broil, but I would think that if you're using any type of topping, they'd burn that way.


This meal was filling, and my taste testers (4 and 6 years old) gave it two thumbs up!

I'll definitely be making this again, I might even make a few to put in the freezer to have for a night when we need an easy and quick dinner!

Vegetable Chowder with Cheese

*PLEASE NOTE: CONTAINS DAIRY*

There are very few recipes on my blog that contain any of the allergens we typically avoid in my family however, this soup is delicious, so I had to share the recipe.  I have not tried this using a milk or cheese substitute, but I think it would turn out just as good as the original recipe!  If you do make it without dairy, please let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter or margarine (or substitute of choice)

1/2 cup onion, chopped finely

1 cup carrot, chopped finely

2 stalks of celery, chopped finely
1 Tbsp minced galic

4 cups chicken broth (be sure to check the ingredients or simply make your own)

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped in tiny pieces

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk (or substitute)

2 cups broccoli, chopped

2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or substitute)

Instructions:

In a large pot (I use my Kitchen Aid cast iron pot), melt butter or margarine.  Add celery, onions, and carrots, and saute until onions are tender.
Toss in garlic and continue to saute for another couple of minutes.
Add broth and potatoes, bringing to boil and cooking until potatoes are tender.  In a bowl, mix flour and water together, and add to the pot.  Stir until soup thickens, add in milk and chopped broccoli and simmer just until the broccoli is soft and soup is heated through.  Add in grated cheese and allow to melt.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is wonderful!  This recipe makes a decent amount, but if you are serving more than 4 adults, I'd probably double the recipe.

There were no leftovers when I made this!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Mmm mmm Muffins!

It's cold where I live today.  Freezing cold.  The type of cold that makes your eyelashes freeze shut, and takes your breath away.  

Currently, it's -42C with the windchill.  That's cold.

What better way to keep the house warm and wonderful smelling, than to make a batch of Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins! 

(egg, dairy, soy and nut free)

Ingredients

1 cup flour (I used white, but gluten free (remember to use xantham gum) or whole wheat would be wonderful too)
1/2 cup sugar (I did use a bit less than this)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup oatmeal (use gluten free oats if needed)
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (I use 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)
1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil)
2/3 cup milk (I used coconut "milk", but any unflavored milk substitute should be fine if you choose to not use cows milk)



I used my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with the spatula attachement

*Mix all dry ingredients together
*Add in wet ingredients
*Mix wel

(yes, it's that easy)

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.

These are very basic, very simple and very yummy!

Yeilds 12 muffins

As promised, creation #1!

When I was asked to create foods using CheeCha Puffs in the recipe, I thought to myself...no problem.  I am no stranger to the kitchen, so this will be easy!  Well, I was wrong.  It's not easy.  I cannot use any egg, dairy, soy or tree nuts in any of my baking or cooking due to allergies, which already limits what I can make and how I can make it.  Plus, it had to be kid approved.  Which means, the easiest way to come up with my first creation was to think...like a kid!

And this is what I came up with.  It's basic, it's simple, it's VERY easy, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

*Dairy, Egg, Soy, Nut & Gluten Free Chicken Fingers*

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (although I'm sure drumsticks, thighs etc would work too)
1 bag Sea Salt & Spiced Black Pepper CheeCha Puffs
2-4 tbsp butter or margarine (we use Earth Balance Soy Free)

Preperation

*In a plastic or cloth bag, crush the entire bag of CheeCha Puffs with a rolling pin until they resemble bread crumbs.  Pour onto a large plate and set aside.
*Thaw chicken and slice breasts into thin strips (or nuggets if you prefer)
*Melt margarine in a bowl

*Dip each strip or nugget into the melted margarine and coat thoroughly.  Take each chicken piece and roll it into the crushed up CheeCha Puffs until they are well covered with the mixture.

On a stone or greased/lined baking sheet, bake the chicken for approximately 30 minutes (or until cooked) in a 400F oven.

It's THAT easy!

I was a little worried that the chicken would either come out with soggy CheeCha Puffs, or that they would be burnt, changing my meal to a "Blackened Chicken using CheeCha Puffs" type dish.  But it was quite the opposite.  The chicken strips were a wonderful golden color, with a nice crispy coating on them.

We had ours with a huge tossed salad, and it was the perfect light dinner.  Pair this up with fries, salad, pasta..........and you'll have an easy and quick dinner sure to please everyone!

I am beyond excited!

If anyone knows me well, you know how much I enjoy coming up with recipes and ideas that not only keep my family full, but that they really enjoy eating.  Some days, this is not an easy thing to do.  In my home of 6 people, 4 of them are male.  They have huge appetites and constantly want to try new things.  Making safe and delicious foods can be challenge at times, but it seems to keep things hopping in the kitchen!

I was recently in contact with the lovely Tracey at CheeCha Puffs and we came up with a wonderful idea, or challenge (depending how you look at it).
Yours truly is going to create a few wonderful dishes incorporating CheeCha Puffs into my creations.  Most of my dishes are created from scratch, so you can be sure they'll be made as healthy as I can possibly make them.

Stay tuned over the next while to see what dishes will be created!  And I love input from my readers, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, or there is something you would like to see created, please do not hesitate to let me know!  You can find my contact info in the tabs up at the top of the page.

***Did you know that CheeCha Puffs are made from natural ingredients and are produced right here in Canada?  They're a family owned and operated business which makes it one more reason to love and support their product! They also offer allergen free options, which is why I am so happy to have been given this opportunity!  You can read more about the details of CheeCha Puffs and how they came to be, by clicking here.***

Indian Naan Bread Recipe

Yes!  Naan Bread!  From scratch!  I am quite proud to say that my family really enjoyed this.  Now, I will admit that I have never actually eaten Naan Bread although I've admired it in the stores on numerous occasions.  I could never find one that was safe for my family though, so would simply admire it, and walk away.

Until today.

Today I decided that I needed to try to make it.  And much to my surprise, it turned out great!

It was quite time consuming but the effort was well worth it.

This recipe was made to be free of eggs, dairy, soy and nuts.




INGREDIENTS

1 package of yeast (2 1/4 tsps if using from a jar)
1 cup warm water
3 Tbsp water (if you can use milk, feel free.  Or substitute with rice milk. All I had was coconut milk so water was my best option)
1 egg or replacer (I use half a tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)
2 tsp salt (come to think of it, I actually think I forgot the salt...oops!)
3.5 cups of flour (you could use whole wheat, I used all purpose)
1 tsp garlic salt (my garlic salt contains soy, so I omitted this all together)
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy.
After the 10 minutes, mix in additional water (or milk/substitute), egg (or replacer), and salt.  Gradually mix in flour (I ended up using only 3 cups and it was the right consistency, you may have to play around to find the amount that works for you).  Knead for 6-8  minutes on a floured surface until dough is smooth.


***I used my Kitchen Aid Stand mixer with the dough hook to make my dough***

In a well oiled bowl, let dough sit covered with a damp towel, for 60 minutes.  The dough should double in volume.

 


After the first rise, on a well floured surface, take dough out of the bowl (it will be VERY sticky, I floured my hands so the dough wouldn't stick).  Punch dough down and pull pieces off to form golf ball size balls of dough.  On a lightly greased pan, place dough-balls to rise again.  This recipe made 25 golf ball size pieces of dough.  Cover with a dry towel and let rise a second time, for another 60 minutes.

Towards the end of the second rise, preheat your grill (I used my George Foreman Indoor Grill) on the high setting, and melt your butter in a bowl.  Mix the garlic salt into the melted butter.

Uncover your dough (which again, should have almost doubled in size) and on a well floured surface, flatten each ball into a circle with a rolling pin.

Once the grill is preheated, lie each piece of flattened dough (I could do three at a time) onto the grill.  Brush the top with the garlic/butter mixture. If using an indoor grill, you can shut the lid while they're cooking.  Heat for approximatly 2-3 minutes, flip over, and brush again with garlic/butter mixture.  Shut the lid for another 2-3 minutes.

The Naan bread should be a nice golden brown color when cooked.

As the bread cooled, it became a wonderful combination of crunchy and chewy.  I had thought there would be no way that this bread would all be eaten in one day, but it was.  I've read that it can become quite chewy if left overnight, in which case any leftovers would be great to make mini pizza's or pita chips.

It took a few hours from start to finish to make these, so be prepared to have some time set aside if you do make them.

They were wonderful!

Welcome to 2013!

I've been in a bit of a slump this past little while, but am full of new ideas, new recipes, and of course, new blog posts!

I'm also hoping to start posting about all of the wonderful new companies we find, most importantly the ones that are geared towards their food allergic consumers, and the products they offer.  My kids (and I'll admit it, me too) are VERY excited to be able to try new things!  After all, kids are the best critics, they either love it or they don't.  So stay tuned for some very exciting info over the next while!

I'd also love to have a few guest bloggers, so if you'd like me to feature your allergy geared blog, website and/or recipes, please send me an email and I will respond right away!

From my family to yours, THANK YOU for reading this blog, THANK YOU for your support, and I hope you have a happy and healthy 2013!