Gluten Free Dairy Free Clam Chowder

 

 

 

This isn't the best picture but this recipe is really tasty and quite easy! Especially for being gluten and dairy free. It's not quite as creamy as some clam chowders but it's got a great flavor, especially if you use a really good ham with it. I've been meaning to post this recipe since my mom and I created it on christmas eve. It was a big hit with the family. Enjoy!

 

 

2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion chopped finely

4 stalks of celery chopped finely

3 cans of clams with juice

4 large potatoes peeled and diced

4 Tablespoons of diced ham or bacon bits

1 cup water

1-2 cups almond milk

 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Saute the onion and celery in the oil. Add the potatoes, clams, ham water and some salt and pepper. Boil on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the almond milk and any more salt and pepper you think it needs.

 

I served it with Pamela's Bread Mix rolls. But you could also make my mini cornbread muffins, or biscuits.

 

Also if you aren't a huge clam fan you could always use corn. Or just leave out the clams :)

New Years Resolutions

Anyone out there resolving to eat gluten free? Welcome to Glutard girl! My postings may not be that consistent but they are tasty! I try to post simple things, as well as more challenging things for those people who have been glutarded longer :)

I know that people have mixed feelings about new years resolutions but I LOVE them! I'm the kind of person who is always making resolutions and goals for myself, all year long, so I think they are fun. And I love going back and looking over them and seeing my progress. A lot of times I make them, set them aside and sort of forget that I made them, a few months later I will discover them and realize I've done a lot of them without really meaning to! So just writing them down sort of puts them in my subconsious.

So this year I'm resolved to do what President Uchdorf encouraged us to do in his talk last conference Of Regrets and Resolutions

"To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:

• Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
• Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
• Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances."

One of the things that I've struggled with a lot lately is the hours between when my son gets home from school and bed time - most particularly when I'm trying to get dinner on the table! It probably begins with me being stressed by the even looming question "What am I making for dinner!?" Then I walk into the kitchen and realize I haven't unloaded the dishwasher, and therefore haven't done a single dish all day. So there's not even counterspace or an empty sink to use to make dinner! My blood pressure rises as the kids are yelling for snacks and I'm not sure what to give them that won't spoil whatever dinner it is I'm going to make. I start to brainstorm but most of the things I think of involve meat that is completely frozen solid! I finally decide on something and start to make it and then the baby starts crying, so I stop everything to go nurse him. Back to the kitchen and by that point the other kids are chasing each other around the house screaming, or fighting and I'm starting to hyperventilate. I try to ignore it but usually it gets louder or worse and after multiple time outs, me getting mad and the baby getting into something he really shouldn't....my husband walks through the door, I look at him with exasperation, hand him a crying baby and often walk back to my room to finish my own crying.

Ok so that isn't necessarily typical of every night. Sometime I just make pancakes or quesadilla's... ha ha, but really I haven't been really pleased with myself and my actions at that time of day so I wanted a way to help/fix it. So I've decided to plan ahead. On Saturday I plan out my meals for the next week, I figure out what ingredients I need and then I go shopping. I'm hoping this will also help me from going over my budget EVERY month! This week has so far been successful. Sometimes I change up my plans a little, but so I try to stick to my plan, even if what's on the menu for that night doesn't sound that great. So far this week has gone pretty well. Hey I even wrote the first half of this post at 4:00 with two friends here playing. I had Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup in the crock pot with Gluten Free Foccacia bread in the oven and the salad in the fridge.

I'm hoping this way I can spend the time in the afternoon and evenings doing homework with my kindergartener, reading stories to my 3 year old and chasing my nearly 1 year old around the house and preventing him from death and destruction! And finally meet my husband at the door with a smile and a kidd KISS. ;) Or in other words spend more time with the ones I love. Also start becoming more like the person God wants me to become. Hopefully less contention in our home will lead to our having more of the spirit here and I can be open to more revelation and guidance for my life. And finally no matter how well, or not well, I do at my new resolution, I will try to find the pure and simple happiness of my cute house, (3 times bigger than our last!...it was really small) my sweet children, and my amazingly patient and wonderful husband.

On final note, if any of you are interested in my posting my weekly menus again, let me know and I will just post them a week later. Some with recipes and some without. Some of the recipes I get from pinterest! Hooray! And I also repeat things a lot (pancakes, spaghetti, etc). Happy New Year Everyone!

Peppermint Bark

This recipe is actually really easy. We just got some white chocolate baking chips, and some peppermint candies, or candy canes. The we crushed the candy canes with a hammer in a Baggie. We sifted the smaller peppermints pieces out and kept the bigger pieces out for later. We mixed the small pieces of peppermint in with the melted white chocolate and then spread it in wax paper. Sprinkle with big peppermint chunks and cool in fridge.

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup

I know split pea soup is one of those foods that you either love or hate. But for some reason I'd been craving it lately, but I've never made it before. I had some left over ham from dinner the night before so I improvised on a recipe and threw it all in the crock pot :) It turned out pretty well.

8 oz dried split peas
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups chopped ham (also any left over ham juice you might have from cooking it previously)
1 onion diced
2 carrots peeled and diced

Cook the onions with a little oil, garlic and salt, I also added the carrots too. Then throw everything in the crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours on high. Season with Salt and pepper to taste! 

Mom's Granola

This recipe is from my dear mother... as you can see we share a lot of recipes:) I love this granola because it's so simple, but you can also add as much or as little extra that you want! It's also delicious with yogurt and chocolate chips as a dessert :)

13 Cups Organic, or GF Oats
Put this in a LARGE bowl
Also add any chopped nuts, coconut, seeds, raisins etc that you may like. 1-2 cups of each

In a small saucepan heat through (not boil):
1 C water
1 C oil (I use mostly olive oil with a little coconut oil)
1 C Honey or Sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 225
Pour heated mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to coat. (you can let it stand for about 2 hours or so if you want to engage the sprouting process of the oats). Spread on 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 1 hour or more, till slightly toasted. Stir every 20 mins.

Christmas Treat Tips

Every Christmas I want to give away Christmas treats or baked goods to people but I don't want to cook with gluten and I don't want to give away my expensive gluten free stuff. So here are a few ideas for some treats you can make that require little or no gluten contamination of your kitchen.

• toffee
• meringue cookies
• fudge
• chocolate dipped pretzels (just don't eat any yourself, unless you make GF ones!)
• peppermint bark
• candied nuts
• layered bars (you can use GF or regular graham crackers, just smash them up in a baggie and your won't have too big of a mess if they contain gluten)
• No bake cookies
• Homemade granola
• Rice Krispie treats
• and of course CHEX MIX!! yay!

Glutard girl can't resist a chex sale!!

The picture says it all. 24 boxes total at $2.00 a box, .... You really can't beat that. Hopefully I'm set for the whole year!

 

When we got home from the store we realized they had overcharged us by over $20! So my awesome husband went back and got us our dough back! :)