Some of My VERY Favorite Dinner Recipes

I LOVE to cook and bake.  But I HATE spending lots of money on ingredients.  When our kids were diagnosed with food allergies our grocery bill tripled.  Living gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and so many other "frees" was extremely frustrating.  I don't understand why children with allergies and other special dietary needs don't get any type of disability.  Just the cost of feeding them is enough to break the bank.  After two months of insanely high priced grocery shopping trips I was determined to find recipes for meals that were still "free" of all of the ingredients we needed to avoid, but not expensive.  I hosted a recipe contest on facebook where I challenged friends to find recipes that were safe for our family.  My grandmother started saving me all the magazines she subscribes to.  I searched every one looking for recipes that would work.  I also purchased a few special diet cook books, but most of the recipes were too expensive to make and called for ingredients I didn't even know existed, or they were free of one or two things, but then required the use of other things I couldn't use.


A year later, I have compiled an entire binder full of recipes that are safe and inexpensive for our family to eat.  I still search through every magazine I see, but for the most part we eat very well.  There are only a few ingredients that I need to buy in the health food section of the grocery store.


I keep meaning to share some of our favorite dinner recipes.  Today is the day!  I hope you enjoy! They are delicious and can be altered easily to fit any diet.  The best thing is that they don't require "special" ingredients!


All the recipes are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and...  They are free of A LOT of stuff!


Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa

(This recipe does call for cheese and sour cream, but we leave it out, and offer it on the side to those who are able to eat it.  We use a fryer chicken instead of a rotisserie chicken to omit possible allergens.  You can substitute the green salsa for any kind of salsa if you'd like or eat it without, which we've done too!)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (from 1 ear, or frozen and thawed)
• 1 2- to 2 1/2 pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack (6 ounces)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 pound tomatillos, papery husks removed
• 1 jalapeño, seeded
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add zucchini, onion, and corn and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Add chicken, Monterey Jack, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.
4. Wipe out the skillet and heat remaining oil over medium heat. Cook each tortilla until softened, 10 to 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
5. Divide chicken mixture among the tortillas, roll them up, and place them in a baking dish, seam-side down. Bake until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and ½ teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Serve the enchiladas with the salsa and sour cream, if using.

Chicken with Acorn Squash and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 small acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved, seeded, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash, tomatoes, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
3. Roast the vegetables until the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Season the chicken with the coriander, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side.
6. Serve the chicken with the squash and tomatoes and sprinkle with the oregano.

Columbian Chicken and Potato Soup

(I use 2 cups frozen corn kernels instead of cobs, omit celery and onion, and serve lime juice on the side.)

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4)
• 4 frozen corn-on-the-cob pieces (sometimes called “cobbettes”)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• kosher salt and black pepper
• cut-up avocado, fresh cilantro sprigs, and capers, for serving

Directions

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the chicken broth and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and corn and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken and corn from the saucepan and reserve.
3. Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl or measuring cup and reserve.
4. Wipe out the saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pota-toes are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken and cut the corn pieces into 1-inch-thick rounds. Return the chicken and corn to the soup. Add the lime juice, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve the soup with the avocado, cilantro, capers, and lime wedges

Homemade Taco Seasoning Packet Replacement

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, it was given to me by a friend, but it has been a LIFE SAVER!  There are only four ingredients, no preservatives, no sugar, no msg, etc.

(We omit chili powder and add  1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes because of Adam's allergies.)

1 packet

1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt

1. Stir seasoning and 3/4 cup water into 1 pound browned and drained hamburger or any other meat, simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Kale With Roasted Peppers and Olives

(We use red wine vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar and black olives instead of Kalamata olives.  Any type of pepper can be used.)

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 4-ounce jar roasted red peppers
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Cut the kale into bite-size pieces, removing any tough stems. Rinse and shake dry.
2. Warm the oil and garlic in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Remove the garlic as soon as it browns (don't let it burn). Add the kale and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Uncover and add the sugar, salt, olives, and peppers. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has evaporated.
3. Spoon into a serving dish; scatter the garlic over the top. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

All recipes and images are from Real Simple magazine, except for the taco seasoning.  I hope you enjoy!


What is your favorite inexpensive special dietary needs recipe?  We'd love for you to share it in the comments section of the blog!

Cinnamon Rolls

I had been craving cinnamon rolls for quite some time. It was a quest of mine to find a recipe that both of my boys could enjoy. The thought of spending hours making delicious cinnamon rolls when they weren't around or awake did not appeal to me in the least. A couple weeks ago I finally found a recipe that would work. On Tuesday, I tried the recipe out. I was NOT disappointed in the least! Not only were these the easiest cinnamon rolls I have EVER made, (no need for them to rise or anything), they were amazing. My parents made an unexpected visit Tuesday night. I let them each try a piece. Both of them said they were absolutely delicious. The boys devoured them. My husband said they were too good to save for the boys. (We try to not eat their allergy friendly treats so there are more for them to enjoy.) And the most amazing thing was that I thought they tasted better the second day, cold, taken out of the refrigerator. What cinnamon roll tastes just as good if not better the second day? I can not rave enough about this recipe. The boys both LOVED them too.

I've posted the recipe the way I read it but did mention I substituted water for milk and egg replacer for egg. The notes on the bottom are not mine, but came with the recipe. I agree that the rolls were REALLY sweet and I only used 2/3 cup as recommended. The dough is REALLY soft, but you're not making a mistake. Enjoy! Cinnamon Rolls

Serves 8 or 9

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons shortening or butter (I used our dairy free margarine.)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk, room temperature (I used water.)
1 packet yeast
1 egg (I used egg replacer)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar

FILLING (*see Ellen's note at end of post)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional

GLAZE¾ cup powdered or confectionery sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thicken (I used water)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium bowl, combine shortening (or margarine) and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk (or water) and add yeast to milk (or water). Whisk well to fully dissolve (**see Ellen’s note). Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft (***see Ellen’s note).Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish pancake. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap because it gets "stuck" under the edges. You might have to occasionally flip the whole thing over. Make sure that when you're done you've got ABOUT a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square of dough.Remove top piece of wrap. Combine filling ingredients. Spread evenly across dough's surface. (Original recipe poster suggested leaving about a 1 1/2" sugar free edge because when you roll the dough all the sugar shifts and fills this in; otherwise all the sugar spills out).Use the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Start with the sugary edge, which will be the center of your roll and roll toward the sugarless edge. Cut off or trim up the irregular ends of your "log". Then cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1 1/2" wide. Place rolls into a greased round glass pie pan.Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.

Notes:*I thought the rolls were a bit too sweet, so the next time I make them I will cut the amount of filling ingredients to about 2/3 of what the recipe calls for.**It seems odd that the recipe doesn't call for proofing the yeast. I decided to cover the milk and yeast mixture with plastic wrap and allow it to at least begin proofing.***The mixture is very, very soft - I was convinced that I'd made a mistake, but it ended up being fine.

Peanut Butter & Jelly

I can't remember the last time my oldest son had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He was diagnosed with his allergies about two months ago, so it was definitely before that. It was my goal to make a bread that both of my boys could eat with their allergies. My first attempt was a failure. Rice flour recipes are so sensitive to water. I learned that when using too much, the entire loaf of bread caves as soon as it's out of the oven.

Yesterday was attempt two. There was still too much water but not enough to ruin the recipe completely. The second lesson I learned is to wait until the bread has completely cooled before cutting or breaking into it. At first glance my oldest son refused to eat the bread. But my youngest had his mouth open wide and absolutely loved it smiling the whole time.

Today I brought some of the bread for the youngest to snack on while we were in church. My oldest son found the container and to my surprise decided to take a bite. He loved it! In seconds the piece of bread was devoured. When he woke up from his nap today he saw peanut butter and jelly on the counter and asked for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I made it with my homemade bread and he ate it, enjoying every bite. I've never been so excited about peanut butter and jelly before, but knowing he had been asking for it for weeks... It was so worth the effort!

The recipe comes from The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread, by Bette Hagman. It is called New Allergy Rice Bread. The bread is gluten, egg, dairy, and soy free.

It uses the author's Featherlight Rice Flour Mix which includes:

1 Part Rice Flour
1 Part Tapioca Flour
1 Part Cornstarch
1 tsp. per cup Potato Flour

There are other ingredients as well, but that's the bulk of it. Can I just say I'm so excited my oldest son can still have fun eating one of his favorite meals: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!