Taco Spaghetti

I had run across a similar recipe on Facebook. I added a couple things. I subtracted a couple things. This is MY yummy version.

Taco Spaghetti

Ingredients:

•1 tablespoon olive oil
•1 pound ground chicken (beef or turkey work too)

•1 sm. onion, diced
•1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
•1 (10-ounce can) Ro*Tel® Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
•8 ounces tomato sauce
•8 ounces gluten free spaghetti (cook according to package & drain)
•1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and onion and cook until it has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the ground chicken  as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain excess fat.
2.Stir in Ro*Tel®, tomato sauce, & spaghetti.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer, about 13-16 minutes.
3.Remove from heat and top with cheese. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
4.Serve immediately

Guilt Free, Gluten Free, Zucchini, Pasta Substitute

 

    I was sitting around trying to figure out what I was going to make for supper tonight. Ok, let me rephrase that......trying to decide on something semi-healthy for supper. When out of nowhere, it was like Dr. Oz heard my thoughts.....he had a person on his show talking about using zucchini for pasta.

     I absolutely LOVE spaghetti squash in place of pasta, so I had to try the zucchini. It is soooooo easy to do and it tasted very good. I can't wait to try it out with some meat sauce sometime soon.

     Ok, so here is what you need to do. Wash and dry your zucchini. Use your vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini into long thin strips. Saute the strips in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add your sauce and toss to coat. Ta-Da....you are done! Dinner is served in less than 10 minutes. 

For my pasta fake out, I used zucchini and yellow squash. Use your veggie peeler to cut the zucchini into long strips. Saute for 5 minutes and add your sauce.

Toss the "pasta" with the sauce and serve.

Ta-Da!!! You can feel a little better about that Alfredo sauce when you are putting it on top of veggie pasta.

 

Enjoy!

 

-Jessica

 

 

 

 

Pasta Salad and a trip to the Farmers Market

     This pasta salad recipe is one that my Grandma used to make. It was one that was a staple in her refrigerator during the summer when I was growing up. I always knew that when I would finish mowing her yard I could go inside and grab a big bowl of this to cool off. Of course back then I wasn't gluten free, so the pasta was regular gluteny pasta.
     I was thinking about this salad a couple of weeks ago and begged Grandma for the recipe. She was kind enough to give it to me, and I turned it gluten free. It tastes just as amazing with the gluten free pasta as it did with the gluteny pasta. I have a big bowl of it in my refrigerator now.....yum!!
     In my excitement to get the ingredients today at the Farmers Market, I picked up a zucchini. I got home and was slicing the zucchini and putting it into the dressing and I went OH NO, this recipe takes a cucumber. OOPS!! However, it still tastes amazing with the zucchini. Possibly even better than the cucumber....because I'm not a big cucumber fan. Anyways.....in the pictures for the recipe...yes I know that's a zucchini haha I'm a dork and picked up zucchini. I may make it with zucchini from now on! ha

Pasta Salad

Dressing:
1 1/4 C. Sugar
1 1/4 C. Oil
1 1/4 C. Vinegar
2 T. Garlic Powder
1 T. Parsley

1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 Cucumber
1/2 Bag of Tinkyada Penne pasta or spirals (approximately 8oz of gf pasta)

Combine the Sugar and vinegar for the dressing. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved completely. Very slowly pour the oil in whisking the whole time. Keep a steady stream of oil pouring while whisking quickly creating an emulsion. Add the garlic powder and parsley and whisk to combine.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Run cold water over the pasta to cool. Drain and add to the dressing mixture.

Thinly slice the cucumber and onion. Add to the dressing mixture.

Refrigerate the salad. This pasta salad is best when it is made in advance so that all the flavors can mesh. It keeps up to one week in the refrigerator and if you run out of pasta/veggies and have leftover dressing you can just replenish the pasta and veggies and add them back into the "juice".

Whisk quickly and pour the oil slloooooowy to create the emulsion

Thinly slice the cucumber or in this case the zucchini.

Also thinly slice the onion.

Combine the veggies, pasta, and dressing. Toss to coat and refrigerate so that all the flavors can mesh.

I hope you enjoy this yummy summer pasta salad!

-Jessica

Mac N Cheese and the Christening of my Beautiful Vintage Pink Pyrex

    I asked for some suggestions on what recipe I should make to christen my new pink Pyrex. One reader suggested some Mac N Cheese. I thought that was a GREAT idea!! So tonight I whipped up a recipe that was passed from my Dad's Mother down to My Mom and then on to ME. I grew up on this Mac N Cheese. It is pretty amazing and was easily converted to gluten free when I was diagnosed.

Macaroni and Cheese - gluten free

2 C. Gluten Free Pasta
2 C. Milk
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C Velveeta
1/4 C. Margarine
1/2 tsp. Minced Onion
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Parsley Flakes

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and pour into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. In a small sauce pan whisk the eggs into the milk. Add margarine, cheese, pepper and minced onions. Heat over low heat until cheese and butter are melted. Add paprika and parsley to the liquid mixture. Stir and then pour into the baking dish with the pasta. Toss to coat and then bake uncovered for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to set for 5-10 min. before serving. Serve hot.

Cook your favorite gf pasta according to the package directions

Place the pasta into your baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Whisk the milk and eggs together. Add the cheese, pepper, minced onion and butter. Heat on very low until cheese and butter are melted. Don't cook at too high of a heat or you will cook the eggs.

When the cheese and butter are melted add the parsley and paprika.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes

Yummmmmmm

Beautiful pink Pyrex and amazingly yummy Mac N Cheese. Two great things!!

I hope you enjoy my family recipe of Mac N Cheese. I happen to think it's amazing. Enjoy!

-Jessica