Glazed & Grilled Salmon

This dinner is one that BOTH kids love. Imagine that? Using simple marinades is a good way to add flavor and avoid allergens.  This delicious salmon recipe was adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/heathers-grilled-salmon/

For this dish, which serves 4, you will need:

2 lbs salmon, skin off (cuz it’s icky)
1/4 cup each of olive oil, soy sauce (I use Publix brand with less sodium), and brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning. I use McCormick’s brand.
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a storage bag and allow salmon to marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours at least.

Heat grill to medium, line with foil, and cook salmon for 10-15 minutes. It should flake easily with a fork and be a light pink color throughout.

I usually serve this with steamed broccoli and white rice.  Simple and healthy.

Breakfast for Dinner with Super Pancakes

Why have just regular pancakes when they can be “SUPER” pancakes?!  This recipe comes courtesy of the Bisquick Box.  Adapted, of course.

Ingredients:
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp sugar
1 & 1/3 cup vanilla soymilk. We use Publix Greenwise vanilla soymilk
1 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed into 4 tbsp warm water (=2 eggs)
Optional mix-ins: fresh blueberries, Enjoy Life or Divvies brand chocolate chips…

Stir all ingredients together until blended. Pour 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased skillet. Cook until edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden.

For syrup, we use Hungry Jack Lite or Cary’s Premium Maple Syrup.  For butter, we use Earth Balance.

Prepare bacon in a separate skillet, according to package directions. We use Oscar Meyer brand center cut and thick sliced.

Sometimes we’ll also have Ore-Ida toaster hash browns or Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage. If you’re looking for scrambled eggs with this breakfast, well, you’re in the wrong house!

Taco Chicken Bowls

A slow cooker recipe!  All right!  No fuss, no muss, no anaphylax-us.  (heheh -allergy humor)  But seriously…

This recipe was adapted to fit our needs from the original recipe, which can be found at http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls/

Place the following in slow cooker on low for 8 hours:
1 pound of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts.  I put them in frozen. (yep you read that right)
16 oz jar salsa – we use Tostitos mild
15 oz can of black beans – we use Publix brand
1 &1/2 tbsp of homemade taco seasoning (see recipe below) or 1 taco seasoning packet (watch for milk in some packets)

 

For taco seasoning: Mix together 1 tbsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp of pepper.

Near the end of the cook time, add a 15 oz can of corn, drained.   We use Green Giant.  Also, start cooking 2 cups of dry white rice according to package directions.  We use Vigo basmati rice.

Shred the chicken while still in the slow cooker.  Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro, if desired.  I’ve also served the leftovers over lettuce, topped with diced tomatos and a spritz of lime juice.  Mmmmm… taco salad.

Matthew’s Rice Casserole

This is one of my son’s favorites.   It’s not really, by definition, a casserole.   Not an “ooey-gooey-mixture-compressed-into-pan-and-baked-until-congealed”.  It’s really just a mixture of yellow rice, ground beef, corn, and tortilla chips, but we have dubbed it “rice casserole”.

For this recipe, you will need:

10 oz bag of yellow rice mix. We use Publix or Vigo brands.
1/2 lb of ground beef, browned and drained.
2 Tbsp of dairy free margarine. We use Earth Balance.
16 oz can of sweet corn, drained. We use Green Giant brand.
Tortilla chips to garnish. We use Tostitos.

Brown and drain the ground beef, then set aside.   We brown a whole pound, use half for this dish, then freeze the other half for spaghetti another night.
Cook the yellow rice mix according to package instructions. This includes the 2 Tbsp of dairy free margarine.
Fold the beef and corn into to cooked rice and serve with crushed tortilla chips on top or mixed in.

The picture doesn’t really sell it, but oh well.  I’m not selling anything here and the taste will sell itself!

White Turkey Chili

This is our recipe for white turkey chili.  It’s meant to be enjoyed by all, including the kiddos, so you’ll notice there are no hot peppers.  Feel free to modify to your tastes.  As always, read the label!

• 16 oz bag of great northern beans or bean of your choice, pre-soaked (see pkg for instruction) and pick out the icky ones.  We use Publix brand.
• 4-5 cups of chicken broth. We use Swanson Natural Goodness.
• 15 oz can of corn.  We use Green Giant.
• 1 to 1.5 lb of ground turkey, browned and drained.  Well, browned turkey is actually a really, pasty white color….mmmmmm
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp of cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion and garlic with turkey while browning.  Add all ingredients  to slow cooker, except for the corn, lime juice and cilantro.  Add these three items in during the last hour so they aren’t overcooked.  Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, then on low for 6 hours, or until beans are tender.   To thicken, if desired, use hand blender or potato masher to mash some of the beans.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.   Serve with dairy-free sour cream garnish or your favorite allergy friendly toppings.

Took the picture before I decided to add cilantro.  Woops!

Chicken Baltimore with Glazed Carrots and Butter & Herb Shells

We named this dish Chicken Baltimore because we made it, cramped in a hotel kitchen with minimal ingredients on hand, while on a family trip to Baltimore.  Note: When you have a kitchen in your hotel room, always wash the dishes before using them!  (because they sometimes don’t- ew)

For the chicken, you will need:

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
• 1/2 cup of Original Bisquick baking mix
• 1&1/2 Tbsp of Season All
• 2-3 Tbsp of Earth Balance dairy free butter

Melt the butter on medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to hold all your chicken.  Mix the Bisquick and Season All in a small “chicken cutlet-sized” container.  Dredge the chicken cutlets in the seasoning mixture, then cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until done (no pink in the center!) and coating is nice and brown.

For the carrots, you will need:

• 1-2 carrots per person, peeled, and chopped into bite size pieces (or use baby carrots and make life easier!)
• 2 Tbsp of Earth Balance dairy free butter
• 3 Tbsp of brown sugar
• pinch of salt

Boil or steam the carrots on the stove top until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain, then stir in brown sugar, butter, and salt.

For the Butter & Herb Shells, you will need:

• Small pasta shells, free of your allergens.  We use Publix brand.
• 2-3 Tbsp of Earth Balance dairy free butter
• 1 Tsp each of your favorite herbs.  We use thyme, basil, oregano, and sometimes rosemary.
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 Tsp of salt

Boil pasta until done, about 8-9 minutes, or according to package directions.  Drain.  Melt butter in a small dish, then add herbs, lemon juice, and salt and stir into pasta.

Voila!  Less than 30 minutes prep and cook time to a balanced family  meal.

Simple Steak Dinner

Here’s a dinner that’s sure to please the meat-lovers out there.  Going out for  a steak dinner with food allergies is like going out for anything else, risky!  Cooking it for yourself at home, is quick, saves money, and grilling uses fewer dishes!  When we have steak, we usually serve it with microwave-baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

I start by coating a fresh top sirloin steak with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Then I place it in a storage bag and marinate the steak in worcestshire sauce.  We use either Publix or Lea & Perrin’s brand.   I try to do this at least a day in advance or save time by doing it on grocery day and sticking it in the freezer, already marinating itself, so all I have to do on steak night is thaw it out.   Grill the steak for 6-9 minutes on each side, checking it for desired doneness.  (A note about grilling: make sure your grill hasn’t been used to make anything like cheeseburgers etc or has been thoroughly cleaned to avoid allergens.)

I rinse and cut the fresh broccoli, place in a steamer basket, then place the basket in an pan with just about a half inch of water in it.  Cook on medium high for 7-10 minutes until desired tenderness.

For the baked potatoes, scrub them well under hot water with a vegetable brush, poke a few times with a fork on each side to vent, then place on a clean plate in the microwave for 7-9 minutes each.  When done, slit down the center, pinch the ends to open it up, and slather on your dairy free butter or sour cream.  We like Earth Balance brand of dairy free butter and Toffutti brand Sour Supreme.   For variety, substitute a sweet potato with dairy free butter, cinnamon, and maybe a sprinkling of brown sugar.  nom-nom-nom…..

In less than 30 minutes of prep and cook time, you’ve got a classy, money-saving, SAFE, and simple dinner!  Win!