Turkey Salad

I'm tired of turkey sandwiches, so I used the remaining white turkey meat to make this turkey salad.  I had some for lunch, on top of a romaine lettuce salad.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seed kernels 

1/2 cup craisins

2 small apples, cored and chopped

1/2 cup soy-free Veganaisen

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Salt to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl.  Refrigerate.  Serve on bed of lettuce or in sandwiches.

Nutritional information:  makes 8 servings, per serving = 224.9 calories, 15.4 g fat, 18.3 mg cholesterol, 130.3 mg sodium, 12.6 g carbs, 2.3 g fiber, 13 g protein

Grandma's Hot Cranberry Punch

We were especially glad to have our family's traditional hot punch Christmas Day this year.  Nancy was getting over a cold, and the rest of us were coming down with one.  It was very nice on my sore throat.  The recipe is from Nancy's mom.  We often have this Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.

INGREDIENTS

1 qt (32 oz) cranberry juice

1/2 cup cinnamon candies (the little ones melt faster)

2 1/2 qt water

1/2 of a 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/3 of a 6 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 cup sugar (or less)

12 whole cloves

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat thoroughly in a crock pot.  Make sure the cinnamon candies are melted.  Don't drink the cloves - either fish them out (they float) or add them in a tea ball.  Can be kept hot all day in the crock pot.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookie-Like Treats - No Flour, No Shortening, No Added Sugar

This is a recipe originally made with raisins and from the Evergreen Institute for Wellness Facebook page.  These cookie-like treats are actually very sweet because of the bananas and Craisins.

INGREDIENTS

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup Craisins

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Use a dinner spoon to scoop up batter and place on cookie sheet. 

Bake 15-20 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on cooling rack.  Repeat for additional sheets full.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Squash Tarte Tatin

One of the TV shows I watch sometimes while doing the treadmill is The Chew.  This recipe is one of the Thanksgiving sides from their series of shows about Thanksgiving food.  My version is adapted from the Michael Symon recipe http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/squash-tarte-tatin-michael-symon.  Mine isn't nearly as pretty as his was, but we all liked it a lot.

2/17/16 - Susie wanted this for her birthday dinner.  Delicata squash was not available, so I made it with butternut squash.  Also, I did not have any apple cider, or even apple juice, so I used cranberry juice.  Turned out very nice.

INGREDIENTS

1 prepared pie crust (rolled kind, not in pie pan)

1 Delicata squash, halved, seeded and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces

1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread

Salt and pepper

1/2 onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1/2 tsp Rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Apple cider

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Juice and zest from one lemon

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in a 10" cast iron skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp buttery spread.  Swirl together in skillet.  Add half of the squash, spread in one layer.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes per side until lightly carmelized.  Remove squash from skillet and set aside.  Repeat with other half of squash.  Add 1 Tbsp buttery spread to skillet.  Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring around, for about 5 minutes, until carmelized.  Add squash back to skillet in single layer.  Add 1 Tbsp buttery spread, brown sugar, apple cider, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, and herbs.  Mix together and spread into single layer.  Cook approximately 2 minutes to reduce.  Remove from heat.  Unroll defrosted store-bought pie crust and place over squash mixture.  Tuck in around the sides.  Bake 40-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown.  Let rest for 10 minutes before flipping out onto plate so crust is on bottom and squash filling on top.  Cut into wedges like a pie to serve.

Roasted Rosemary Brussels and Rutabaga

This is a pretty simple recipe from one of my favorite blogs, PaleOMG http://paleomg.com/roasted-rosemary-brussels-and-rutabaga/.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of Brussel sprouts, halved length-wise

1 cup of rutabaga, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh or dried rosemary

Salt and pepper

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 405 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Spray an edged cookie sheet with Pam olive oil and spread ingredients in single layer on cooking pan.  Cook 25-30 minutes, turning sprouts and rutabaga over about half-way through the cooking time, until rutabaga is cooked.

Maple Bacon Pecan Roasted Butternut Squash

This is another PaleOMG blog recipe.  I made mine with turkey bacon and olive oil instead of regular bacon and bacon grease - one of my dinner guests doesn't eat pork.  I like this a whole lot.

INGREDIENTS

1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 5 cups)

6-8 slices bacon or turkey bacon

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or bacon grease

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place bacon slices on the foil-lined baking sheet and cook about 20 minutes.  Bacon should be cooked, but not crunchy.  Remove from oven and chop bacon up.  If using real bacon, save the grease.

Up oven temperature to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the squash, bacon, pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and bacon grease or olive oil.  Transfer to 9" x 11" or 13" glass baking pan.  Bake 40-45 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until squash is soft.

Chicken Diane with Mushrooms

I used this Reckless Abandon Cook recipe as the starting place for my adapted recipe http://www.recklessabandoncook.com/2011/06/chicken-diane.html.  This recipe does not include mushrooms, but many of the chicken Diane recipes I looked at do include mushroom - and since Jean isn't home and both Nancy and I like mushrooms, I included them.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 boneless chicken breasts divided into 2-4 half-breasts

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread

1-2 Tbsp shallots, finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

8-12 oz sliced mushrooms

2-3 Tbsp brandy or whiskey

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup almond milk

Dried or fresh parsley

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Salt & pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.  Heat oil in skillet  on medium high.  Add chicken breasts and cook 6 minutes, uncovered.  Turn the chicken breasts over, cover the skillet, and cook another 6 minutes.  Remove chicken breasts to small plate and cover with aluminum foil.  Add buttery spread to skillet.  Add shallots and garlic.  Sauté a couple of minutes.  Add mushrooms and sauté until cooked.  Remove mushrooms from skillet.  Add brandy or whiskey to deglaze pan.  Add mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Whisk well.  Add almond milk.  Whisk and cook a couple of minutes.  Add parsley and whisk.  Remove from heat.  Return chicken to pan, being sure to get them covered with sauce on both sides.  Drain mushrooms and return to pan.  Stir to mix well with sauce.  

Crockpot Mediterranean Beef and Rice

Nancy picked up a pound of grass-fed, antibiotic-free ground beef the other day.  My experience has been that this is often more gristly than most ground beef, so we decided to try it in a crockpot recipe so that it would have that long, slow cooking time to get tender.

I found a recipe on the Crockpot Ladies blog http://crockpotladies.com/crockpot-mediterrenean-beef-rice/ that is something I can eat, too.  So we made some small adaptations and used it for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound grass-fed ground beef

1 Beef bouillon cube

1/2 tsp turmeric

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp Garam Marsala (I made my own and saved what I didn't use - 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp coriander, 1 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg - all in the ground state)

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups water

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 cups cooked rice for serving

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the ground beef in a skillet on the stove.  Drain off fat/grease.  Add all the spices and stir.  Dissolve the bouillon in 1 cup of hot water.  Add to meat and stir together well.

Transfer the meat and spices to the crockpot.  Add the second cup of water.  Add the frozen vegetables.  Stir and cover.  Cook on low for 5-8 hours.

Cook the rice.  Toast the pine nuts.  When the beef and vegetables are finished cooking, serve over rice, garnished with toasted pine nuts.

TOASTING THE PINE NUTS

I toast mine in a small, nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly.

Chestnut Stuffing

Our family's traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners include chestnut stuffing.  And if there is too much to fit in the bird, then I'll cook the extra in a casserole dish.  But otherwise our chestnut stuffing is stuffed into the turkey.

The recipe is pretty simple.  I use Pepperage Farm's Herb Stuffing Mix.

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg Pepperage Farm Herb stuffing mix

10-15 chestnuts

2 stalks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp soy-free buttery spread (optional if using stuffing in bird)

2 cups very hot water or chicken broth

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Put the chestnuts and enough water to cover well in a saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Using a paring knife, cut each chestnut in half and remove the shell and skin from the meat.  Chopped the chestnut meats and set aside.  I have found that often at least some of the chestnuts are bad - rotten, too hard, etc. - so I just throw those ones out.  I usually take 3 chestnuts at a time from the hot water - I think leaving them in the water until I'm ready for them makes them easier to peel.  And I always burn my fingers slightly peeling them.

Heat olive oil in saucepan.  Add diced celery and onions.  Sauté about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent.  Add chopped chestnuts and sauté another couple of minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth and buttery spread.  Remove , from heat.  Add stuffing mix and celery/onions/chestnuts.  Stir until well mixed.  This can now be stuffed in the bird (or put in a casserole dish - follow stuffing pkg directions if doing that).

When turkey is done cooking, remove stuffing to serving bowl.  Then let turkey rest before carving.

Rigatoni with Roasted Pumpkin and Goat Cheese

We had a small pumpkin.  I used some of it in place of summer squash in the meatloaf I made Wednesday.  That worked out well.  But now I had 2/3 of a pumpkin left to use.  So I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart site, reduced amounts a little bit, and made some to take to the potluck at church today.  The original recipe, and other pumpkin recipes, are at http://www.marthastewart.com/314073/rigatoni-with-roasted-pumpkin-and-goat-c#Pumpkin%20Recipes%7C/274288/pumpkin-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide%7C314073

INGREDIENTS

1.small sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1 shallot, quartered or eighth lengthwise

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8 oz rigatoni

Salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sage, or sprigs of fresh sage

4 oz. Crumbled goat cheese

1/2 cup pasta cooking water

2 Tbsp soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix pumpkin cubes/chunks with olive oil, shallots, salt, pepper, and sage.  Put on baking sheet in single layer.  Bake approximately 25-35 minutes, tossing the pumpkin and rotating the baking sheet halfway through.  Set aside.

While pumpkin is roasting, cook rigatoni according to pkg directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.  Mix together reserved hot pasta water and buttery spread until spread has melted.  Add goat cheese.  Mix together well while goat cheese melts.  Mix in with pasta.  Gently fold in roasted pumpkin and shallots.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Crispy Sweet Potato Roast

A friend posted this on her Facebook page, and I just HAD to try it, adapted to my dietary restrictions.  It is from the Smitten Kitchen blog http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/11/crispy-sweet-potato-roast/.

I made mine in our 10" cast iron skillet.

INGREDIENTS

5 or 6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used our mandolin)

3 Tbsp Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread, melted

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat buttery spread and oil together until spread has melted.  Put 2 Tbsp of the mixture in the bottom of a 2 qt casserole or large cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Place sweet potatoes into pan, standing them on edge in a circular pattern.  Place shallot slices between every few potato slice.  Brush remaining olive oil/buttery spread mixture over all.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake, covered, 45-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender and almost fully cooked.  Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Remove foil, and roast uncovered another 10-20 minutes, or until tops of potatoes are nicely browned.

I ended up with it in the 450 degree oven 25 minutes, and then broiled it for a few minutes.  Still didn't get much crispy or browned to it.

Meatless Chili

This is a recipe from Nancy's family.  It's not something I can eat anymore.  But I used to like it a lot, and Nancy's been hungry for chili.  And how could I NOT make chili in this weather!

INGREDIENTS

6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green peppers, chopped

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2-3 cups frozen corn

1 46-oz V-8 juice

8 cups chili beans, 1/2 processed in food processor or blender

1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

Salt to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in large saucepan.  Add onions and garlic.  Sauté.  Add green peppers.  Sauté.  At this point sautéed veggies can be moved to large crock pot to finish cooking chili, or kept in the very large saucepan to finish cooking the chili on the stove.  Add all the other ingredients.  Simmer or cook on low until done. 

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

I made some basil pesto last week, and I'm trying to use it up.  I had pesto pizza with goat cheese earlier, and I thought I'd have spaghetti with pesto sauce for dinner.  Then I remembered the spaghetti squash that has been lurking in the potato/onion/winter squash bin for a couple of weeks.  Why not have that with the pesto?

INGREDIENTS

1 spaghetti squash

1/2 cup water

Pesto

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Split the squash length-wise and remove seeds.  Place squash halves in baking pan, cut side down, with 1/2 cup water.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Use a fork to flake off the spaghetti-like cooked squash and mix with the pesto sauce.  Serve in the squash shell.

The pesto sauce I use is homemade, using this recipe http://molliessoupkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/07/basil-pesto.html

Roasted Napa Cabbage with Bacon

WWe had a very large head of Napa cabbage that needed to be used.  I found this recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/easy-winter-recipe-roasted-cab-105338 at The Kitchn blog and decided that's the one I wanted to try.  I'm just not a big fan of coleslaws, and I wanted something warm these cold days.

INGREDIENTS

1 head Napa cabbage

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 slices bacon

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash cabbage.  Cut into quarters.  Remove stem.  Cut each wedge in half, making 8 wedges.  Place wedges in baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Cut bacon into strips and drape over cabbage.

Roast in oven about 30 minutes, turning cabbage wedges over about half-way through.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I've finally gotten it all worked out so that I can have spaghetti without triggering any fibromyalgia inflammation and pain.  We bought some goat cheese Parmesan while in North Carolina in September, so that's the cheese I've been using.  Other times I have used Pecorino Romano, which I can find at the grocery store.  Using my homemade No Tomato Sauce, I can either have a vegetarian spaghetti sauce, or I can do like a did today and make a meat sauce.  I can also have spaghetti with my basil pesto sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground chuck

1 small onion, diced

No Tomato Sauce

Marinara Sauce

Parmesan goat cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet.  Mix the cooked ground beef and onion with spaghetti sauce, some with No Tomato Sauce for me, and some with regular marinara sauce for everyone else.  Warm it up.  Cook the spaghetti noodles.  Drain.  Serve sauce over spaghetti, topped with grated Parmesan.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

Sharon requested butter pecan ice cream over blondies for her birthday dinner dessert.  I found a promising recipe from Taste of Home http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-blondies#.  and then asked Nancy to make the blondies, using substitutions that made them okay for me to eat, too.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2  cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (6 oz) Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips (soy and dairy free)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, buttery spread, eggs, and vanilla just until blended.  In a separate bowl, combine flou, baking powder, and salt.  Add to brown sugar mixture, stirring to combine.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread into greased 13" x 9" baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool before cutting into bars.  

Deli-Style Imitation Crab Salad

TWe had some imitation crab left over from making sushi.  I decided to make some crab salad, and adapted this recipe http://app.cookeatshare.com/recipes/deli-style-imitation-crab-seafood-salad-695978#CES.  The main change I made was to use soy-free Vegenaise instead of mayo.

This can be used as a topper to a bed of salad greens, as a sandwich spread, as a chunky dip, or as an appetizer cracker topping.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound imitation crab, chopped or flaked

1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

1/4  cup sweet pickle relish

2/3 cup soy-free Vegenaise or Earth Balance Mindful Mayo

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (or to taste)

1/8 tsp dill weed

Salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all the ingredients together.

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

I decided to try to make Thai sweet sticky rice with mango for dessert tonight.  I followed this AllRecipes recipe pretty much as is http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thai-sweet-sticky-rice-with-mango-khao-neeo-mamuang/.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups uncooked sushi rice

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 mangoes, peeled and cut up

Toasted sesame seeds

For sauce:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp tapiocca starch, corn starch, or arrowroot powder

1/4 tsp salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse rice until water runs clear.  Put in saucepan with water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and cook until water is absorbed and rice cooked (15-20 minutes).  While rice is cooking, mix together coconut milk and sugar in another saucepan, bring to boil, and remove from heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Once rice is done cooking, add rice to sweet coconut milk, stir and set aside to cool.  The sauce is made by whisking together coconut milk, sugar, salt, and thickener.  Bring to boil, then immediately remove from heat.

To serve, plate sweet sticky rice, put mango pieces with, pour sauce over, and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

Sushi - Maki Rolls

Something Jean misses very much when she is away at school is sushi.  Grinnell has no restaurants or grocery stores that sell sushi, and it is not something the school dining services provides.  So she eats lots of sushi when she is home.  We don't usually make our own, but decided to serve homemade sushi at our Wednesday night dinner with company this week.

Our supplies included a bamboo mat, plastic wrap, a wooden bowl, a sharp knife, sushi rice, rice vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, nori sheets, and our ingredients for fillings - Imitation crab, avocado, carrots, cucumbers, sweet potato.  We also made a couple of sauces to use with our maki - one using coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce) and a sweet cooking wine (mirin or dry sherry), then reduced over heat to consistency desired; the other a spicy mayo sauce made by whisking together Vegenaise, siracha, and fresh lime juice.

Here are links to a couple of blogs I found helpful for the sauces, sweet potato sushi, and how to roll the sushi.  http://myfamilydish.com/sweet-potato-sushi/  and http://www.davesbigblueplate.com/2012/02/sweet-potato-sushi.html

Dinner was butternut squash soup, crusty bread, California rolls, sweet potato rolls, and some other sushi combos, steamed green beans, and Thai sweet sticky rice with mango for dessert (separate blog post).

Alpine Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe we first had at Nancy's sister Linda's house.  Even though there is no pineapple in the recipe, Linda's husband called it Pineapple Chicken Casserole.  Somehow the celery took on that flavor for him, I think.  I make a couple of major substitutions to turn it into something I can eat these days.  The original recipe uses Swiss cheese (which is probably why "Alpine" is part of the name, but I used goat's milk cheddar cheese instead - Jean doesn't like Swiss cheese, and I have not found a goat's or sheep's milk Swiss cheese yet.  Daiya does make a no-dairy, no-soy Swiss cheese, so I could use that.  The other substitution I use is soy-free Vegan mayo (Vegenaise or Earth Balance Mindful Mayo) instead of Miracle Whip Light.

We stopped at Bloomingfoods in Bloomington on Sunday, and I bought an Amish chicken.  I cooked it overnight in our crockpot.  And saved the resulting broth for making soup later this week.  My brother cooked a chicken in their pressure cooker while we were visiting last month.  That was a pretty darn quick and impressive way to cook it.  We don't have a working pressure cooker, tho, and I like driving the cats nuts with the smells overnight with the crockpot method.

UPDATE, 9/15/16

I decided to see if 'Pineapple Chicken Casserole' actually tastes good with pineapple in it.  It does. This morning I put a whole fryer chicken in the slow cooker with 2 cups of water. I left it on Low for 8 hours. Then I took it out of the slow cooker and let it cool enough I didn't totally burn my fingers getting the meat and tearing it into bite-sized pieces. Instead of 2 cups of diced celery, I used 1 cup of diced celery and one cup of drained pineapple tidbits. The 'cheese' I used was Daiya Gouda. I think I'll probably include pineapple in this recipe most of the time from now on!

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cut/torn up chicken pieces (basically 1 chicken)

2 cups celery, diced (or 1 cup diced celery and 1 cup drained pineapple tidbits)

2 cups bread cubes (basically two slices of bread cut into cubes)

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 cup soy-free Vegenaise

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded cheese (original recipe uses Swiss, I use non-dairy or goats milk cheese)

1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, celery, bread cubes, onion,  Vegenaise, salt & pepper, and cheese.  Transfer to 2 1/2 qt casserole dish.  Top with almonds.  Bake 25-35 minutes, until heated through and cheese melted.

Sautéed Greens with Pine Nuts and Craisins

We got lots of greens at our Seton Harvest pickup yesterday.  So I went looking for recipes.  I found this one on the Kitchenista blog http://thekitchenista.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128:sauteed-greens-with-pine-nuts-and-raisins&catid=54:general&Itemid=91.  Nancy cooked them, adding additional craisins and pine nuts.  The recipe is for 1 bunch of greens - we actually used about 3 bunches, and adapted the recipe to accommodate the additional greens.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch greens (whatever kinds you want - we used a mixture of kale, mustard greens, vita greens, and Yukina savoy)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Extra virgin olive oil

2-3 Tbsp pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp craisins

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Cut off and discard bottom few inches of the stems of the greens,  Wash and dry the remaining greens.  Separate the stems from the leaves.  Chop up the stems and set aside.  Coarsely chop the leaves and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add about 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add the chopped up stems and let them cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the pine nuts to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes, until begin to brown.  Stir frequently.  Add the garlic, continuing to stir, and cook a minute or so before adding salt, pepper, and craisins.  Mix together well, then remove from heat and transfer this stem mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Return the frying pan to medium-high heat on the stove.  Add about 1 Tbsp olive oil, and tilt pan to coat evenly.

Add the leaves to the pan.  Do not stir, and let them cook 2-3 minutes until wilted.  Some might get crunchy, which is okay.  Once the leaves have wilted, stir them around the pan and add a little salt.

Add the stem mixture back to the pan and stir to combine.  Serve.  You can add a little lemon juice before serving.

Mango Tahini Smoothie

This is a recipe that was part of the detox diet I did a year and a half ago when I discovered my pain trigger foods.  I used the Whole Living 2013 Action Plan.  The link is for the Mango-Tahini Smoothie recipe, but one can get to the entire plan from there.  http://www.wholeliving.com/216565/mango-tahini-smoothie

INGREDIENTS

1 cup slightly thawed frozen mango chunks

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp tahini

1/2 cup water

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Put ingredients into blender and blend till smooth.  Pour into glass and serve with a wide diameter straw.

Pecan Pie Bars

It's getting to be that holiday time of year when it is a challenge for me to find treats and good things to take to potlucks that I can eat.  This is a recipe I found last year and ended up making several times.  http://www.food.com/recipe/pecan-pie-bars-paleo-gluten-free-512670

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups almond flour/meal

1 Tbsp coconut oil

3 eggs, divided

1/2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz pitted dates

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Combine almond flour, 1 egg, oil, arrowrooot powder, and salt in a bowl.  Use a mixer to blend - dough will be very stiff.  Press by hand into greased 9"x9" or 13"x9" pan (I sometimes use the larger pan because it makes then thinner).  Bake 17 minutes.  Remove from oven to cool.

Blend dates in food processor on high about 1 minute, until paste-like. Add 2 eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Process until smooth.

Pour date mixture over warm crust and sprinkle pecans evenly over top, pressing in slightly.

Bake 30-35 additional minutes.  Cool before serving.

Green Beans and Feta

The green beans from our CSA 1/2 share looked a little mature, so I decided I needed to do something more than just steaming them.  I used my goat cheese feta and a red pepper that was also from our Seton Harvest haul.  I didn't eat any of the pepper (nightshade), but we had company for dinner so I included it.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound green beans, washed and with ends removed, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the peppers, garlic, salt & pepper and saute 5-7 minutes, or until peppers are tender.  Add the green beans and wine to the peppers.  Cover and cook about 10 minutes, until beans are tender.  Stir the green bean mixture.  Add the feta cheese, cover, and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the feta is soft.

Baked Squash Rings

Our haul from Seton Havest included an acorn squash.  I found this recipe for baked squash rings.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/baked-squash-rings-recipe.html. The original recipe uses both an acorn squash and a butternut squash.  I only had the one, so that is what I used.  

Other items from our CSA 1/2 share I used in dinner tonight included a yellow squash I used in my turkey meatloaf, lettuce I used in a salad, and green beans.

INGREDIENTS

1 acorn squash

(1 butternut squash)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You can either peel the squash or leave the rind on - I left it on.  Half the squash length-wise and remove the seeds.  Slice into half-moon pieces, about 1/4" thick.  Lightly coat with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway through the cooking time.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

I adapted this recipe from the Paleo Crockpot Cashew Chicken recipe at the Preppy Paleo blog http://www.preppypaleo.com/2013/11/paleo-crock-pot-cashew-chicken-recipe.html.  I used chicken tenders instead of chicken thighs because that is what I had.  Also, I used regular cane sugar instead of palm sugar, and I left out the red pepper flakes (although I did use ketchup, which is also a no-no for me).

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp coconut oil

3 Tbsp liquid aminos

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (1/4 tsp dry, ground)

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions/scallions

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Place arrowroot powder and chicken in large ziplock plastic bag.  Mix well to coat chicken pieces.  Melt coconut oil in large skillet (cast iron or non-stick).  Add coated chicken pieces and cook, stirring a lot, for about 5 minutes.  Put the chicken in the bottom of your crock pot.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the liquid aminos, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, garlic, and ginger.  Pour over chicken and stir.  Cover crock pot and cook on low about 4 hours.  I ended up adding about 1-2 Tbsp water towards the end because it was sticking to the bottom of the crock pot.

Mix in scallions and cashews.

I served mine with brown rice and steamed green beans.

Mango, Avocado, and Spiced Chicken Salad

For tonight's dinner I adapted a recipe from The Navy Wife Cook http://www.navywifecook.com/2013/07/mango-avocado-spiced-chicken-salad.html. Nancy and I both like it.

INGREDIENTS

12.5 oz can of chunk white chicken

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp nightshade-free taco seasoning

Salt and pepper

Romaine lettuce

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 mango, peeled and diced

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Drain chicken.  Place in medium bowl, add spices/seasonings, flake meat with fork and mix together.

Makes 4 servings.  For each serving, place 1-2 cups of lettuce in bowl, add 1/4 spiced chicken, 1/4 diced avocado, and 1/4 diced mango.

Meatball and Summer Squash Skillet

http://eating4balance.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/i-need-sustenance/ had a recipe for Meatball Zucchini Skillet that looked interesting and tasty.  The grocery stores seem to be out of zucchini at the moment, so I used yellow squash.  And the recipe calls for tomatoes, so I substituted diced peaches for those, to keep it nightshade-free.  Mine isn't as varied and attractive color-wise, but it tastes pretty good.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance Soy-free buttery spread

1 pound ground beef (I used ground sirloin)

1/2 large Vadalia onion, diced

2 medium summer squash, diced

1/2 cup canned diced peaches, drained

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning (I put in a dash each of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme)

Salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the buttery spread in a large cast iron skillet.  Over medium high heat, cook the onions for about 5 minutes, until translucent and somewhat carmelized.  Make approximately 20 small meatballs from the ground beef.  Add these to the skillet and cook about 10 minutes, stirring and turning the meatballs over occasionally.  Add the squash, peaches, and spices.  Cook about 5 minutes stirring frequently.  Cover the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until squash is cooked.

Green Beans and Yellow Squash with Garlic and Rosemary

We had a yellow squash and bunch of green beans from our Seaton Harvest distribution this week.  I found a recipe http://www.freshfarmmarkets.org/recipeviewer.php?recipeid=827 to try, and it turned out quite nicely.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 cups (approximately) green beans (ends trimmed and cut in half)

1 medium yellow squash, cut into thin slices

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Steam the green beans until tender.  Set aside.  Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet.  Sauté squash until cooked.  Add green beans, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Continue cooking and stirring until well mixed and heated through.  Remove from heat and serve.

Peach Glazed Pork Chops or Chicken Breasts

I believe we originally got this recipe from Nancy's sister Linda (update - Nancy tells me it was originally from the Stovetop Stuffing for Pork box). We've made it a lot over the years!  I'm making it to take when I visit my friend Pam tomorrow.  It contains some ketchup, which I am not supposed to have.  I can either substitute some of my No Tomato Sauce or ignor the little bit of pain that little bit of ketchup is likely to cause - sometimes it's just worth it!

It is now December 2015, and we decided to try this with chicken breasts.  2 chicken breasts (4 halves) instead of pork chops (and we cut the breast halves in half to make more servings), and the chicken stuffing mix instead of the pork stuffing mix.

INGREDIENTS

6 pork chops or 4-6 chicken breast halves

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can sliced peaches (we didn't have any sliced peaches, so I used diced)

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

1 1/2 cups very hot water

1/4 cup Earth Balance no soy buttery spread (or butter or margarine if not sensitive to dairy)

1 pkg stuffing mix for pork or for chicken

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season chops with salt and pepper, the brown them in oil in a skillet.  When browned, place in 9" x 13 " baking/casserole pan.  Drain peaches, reserving liquid.  In a saucepan, mix and heat until thickens a little 1/3 cup peach juice, brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar.  Brush glaze on both sides of chops.  Bake chops for 35 minutes.  While baking, drain fat from skillet and add hot water, buttery spread, and stuffing mix.  Stir to moisten.   After chops have baked for 35 minutes, Remove them from pan and drain off fat.  Put the prepared stuffing into the pan.  Brush glaze on both sides of chops and put them on top of the stuffing.  Put the peaches and remaining glaze in the baking pan on top of and around the chops.  Bake 20 minutes longer.

Nutritional information:  Makes 6 servings.  Per serving = 479.3 calories, 16.7 g fat, 59.9 mg cholesterol, 650.2 mg sodium, 48.9 g carbs, 1.5 g dietary fiber, 23.6 g protein

Jeweled Red Cabbage Salad

This is a recipe I found on Spark People http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=619496.  I highly recommend the free Spark People site or app for tracking calories, exercise, etc.  It's a great place for finding healthy recipes, storing your own recipes, and calculating nutritional information.  There is lots of health, diet, and exercise information on the site, as well as videos and social networking opportunities.

Anyway, I'm going to visit my friend Pam for a couple of days, and she's very fond of this salad, especially if I leave the scallions out (her tummy does not like raw onions).

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 head of cabbage)

1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts

3 carrots, grated or shredded

3 scallions, thinly sliced (I leave out when sharing with Pam)

1 small can mandarin oranges

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup dried cranberries/craisins

DRESSING

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (original recipe uses canola oil)

3 Tbsp brown sugar, packed

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (can also use white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar)

1 Tbsp mandarin orange juice from can

Salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together salad ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.  Add dressing to salad and mix to combine.  I usually double the salad recipe and still use a single recipe of the dressing.

Nutritional information: Makes 8 servings, per serving = 196.1 calories, 15 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 605.1 mg salt, 16 g carbs, 1.9 g dietary fiber, 1.9 g protein

Lemony Blueberry Cornbread

This is a recipe a Facebook friend posted a link to, and a photo of how hers turned out.  It looked and sounded so good I decided to adapt it and try it.  The original recipe was from Budget Bytes http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/06/lemon-blueberry-cornbread-skillet/.  It is very tasty.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup corn meal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp)

1 cup almond milk

1 large egg (or Egg Replacer or other substitute to make Vegan)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp Earth Balance Soy-free Buttery Spread

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.  Use your bare hands to massage the zest into the flour to help release the flavorful oils.

In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and oil.  Mix into flours, stirring only enough to incorporate all the dry ingredients - some lumps are okay.

Use buttery spread to grease a 10" cast iron skillet.  Spread the batter in the skillet.  Sprinkle blueberries on top, and press them into the dough.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and sides.  Cut into 8 pieces and serve.

Zucchini Brownies

This used up the last of the grated zucchini from Megan's monster.  I used almond milk and Earth Balance Buttery Spread (soy free version) in the frosting - followed the recipe otherwise.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Brownies/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened pure cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting:

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup Earth Balance Soy-free Buttery Spread

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

COOKING INSTRCTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9" x 13" or 7" x 11" baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla until well blended.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Stir into the sugar mixture.  Fold in the zucchini (and walnuts, if using).  Spread evenly in the prepared baking pan and pat down.  Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Let cool.

To make the frosting, melt together buttery spread and 6 Tbsp cocoa.  Set aside to cool.  Blend confectioners sugar, almond milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Stir in the cocoa mix and blend well.  Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Basil Pesto

This recipe from the Food Network also includes directions for freezing this pesto.  I didn't have to make any changes to the recipe because it calls for Pecorino cheese instead of Parmesan.  I used Pecorino Romano.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/basil-pesto-recipe2.html

I also found some interesting tips at http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/04/the-pizza-lab-pesto-pizza.html.  To retain the bright green color, blanch the basil - 15-30 seconds in boiling water.  You can also add a little spinach to the mixHe also blanches his garlic, to take the edge off.  And for pesto used as a pizza topping, reduce the amount of oil used.  He doesn't spread his pesto like a sauce, but puts in on the pizza in little globs ("points of interest").  

I blanched the basil and used less oil, and we used this as a topping for our Zucchini Crusted Pizza.  I had some of the leftover pesto on whole wheat spaghetti later in the week - REALLY liked it!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Pecorino cheese, freshly grated

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Combine basil, garlic, and pine nuts in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add 1/2 cup olive oil and pulse until smooth.  If using right away, add remaining olive oil and pulse until well incorporated.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in cheese.

Zucchini Drop Cookies

This recipe is adapted from one in the "Too Many Tomatoes..." Cookbook.  I reduced the sugar and salt, and replaced the shortening with applesauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup grated zucchini

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg, beaten

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)

1 cup raisins (optional)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together zucchini, soda, sugar, applesauce, and egg.  Sift in and stir flour, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add nuts and raisins.  Drop teaspoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes.

Nutritional information:  Makes 36 cookies, per cookie = 72 calories, 2.6 g fat, 5.1 mg cholesterol, 53.4 mg sodium, 11.5 g carbs, 0.7 g dietary fiber, 1.3 g protein

Zucchini Crusted Pizza

This is a recipe a friend made for me many, many years ago, and that I've made many, many times since then.  It is originally from Mollie Katzen in "The Moosewood Cookbook."  https://static.squarespace.com/static/5150aca3e4b0b73e823496d6/t/51db33ede4b08fbe8d2b244b/1373320173789/Zucchini-CrustedPizza.pdf. This is the first time I've tried to adapt it to my dietary needs/restrictions.

At the Higgs' family reunion this past weekend our niece Megan gave us a very large, even huge, zucchini.  I'm trying to use it up.  I made two crusts - one using the original recipe ingredients and topped with marinara sauce and cheese; the other with the goat milk cheeses and topped with a pesto sauce I made today and goat milk feta.

INGREDIENTS

The crust

3 1/2 cups grated zucchini (grate it coarsely)

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup grated mozzarella (goats milk mozzarella for me)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (Pecorino Romano for me)

1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, minced (1/2 tsp dried)

Salt and pepper

Toppings (your choice)

Sauce (marinara, no tomato, Alfredo, pesto)

Steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower

Sautéed mushrooms

Cheese

Etc.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Salt the zucchini lightly and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Squeeze out all the excess moisture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all crust ingredients and spread into an oiled 9" x 13" baking pan or casserole dish.  Bake 20-25 minutes - until the surface is dry and firm.  Brush the top with olive oil and broil it, under moderate heat, for 5 minutes.

Pile all your favorite pizza toppings on, and heat the whole mess in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  Serve hot, cut into squares, with a big tossed salad.

Makes 4-6 servings, each crust.

Leftover Roast Beef - BBQ Beef for Sandwiches

Now that I've cooked all this roast beef, I have lots of leftovers.  And no one in my family is a big eater of plain roast beef.  But both Nancy and John are very fond of BBQ sauce, and Jean likes it, too.  So I cut most of my leftovers into thin strips and put them into the crockpot with BBQ sauce and a little water.  We'll have that for dinner tonight, and I'll freeze what's left.  Well, Sharon and they will have that - BBQ sauce is not something I can eat without triggering pain.  Rats!

I cubed the rest of the leftovers and put them in the freezer for making soup later.

Cheesy Zucchini and Squash Bake

Found this recipe at Gourmet Veggie Mama's blog http://www.gourmetveggiemama.com/2012/07/25/cheesy-zucchini-and-squash-bake/.  I used goat milk mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheeses instead of the cow's milk cheeses called for in the recipe.

This was okay, but nothing very wonderful.  I used several different types of squash, mostly from our Seton Harvest CSA share.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium zucchini, sliced or half-moons

2 yellow squash, sliced or half-moons

1 cup mozzarella, shredded, divided

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated 

3 Tbsp fresh Basil (about 2 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion or shallot, finely diced

Salt and pepper taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8" x 8" baking pan or casserole dish with olive oil.

In large bowl, mix together all ingredients except 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.  Place in prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes.  Add cheese over top and bake additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and browning and squash is cooked.

Roast Beef

So tonight I fixed the other kind of roast beef - the more tender cut of beef that one cooks dry at high heat instead of moist and slow at low heat as one does for pot roast.  Daniel, Hope, and Jourdan came for dinner tonight.  They have become very special people to me, and not just because they have returned to us many family photos and other treasures (although that is certainly part of it).  I was somewhat embarrassed by the mess our house is still in - we have piles of things the kids brought home from college for the summer, as well as the trunks and boxes of family things from Daniel and Hope.  I'm making progress, but very slowly.  

Daniel is allergic to all things poultry, so no eggs or poultry meat or broth in anything tonight.  In addition to the roast beef, we had roasted red potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes, a squash Au gratin casserole, salad, rolls, and peaches with ice cream.  Turned our Jourdan is allergic to peaches, so I gave him some black raspberries to have on his ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

3-5 pound beef roast ( mine was a sirloin tip roast)

3/4 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  The basic instruction is to season the meat and then roast for 20 minutes per pound.  If the roast is not tied, tie kitchen string around the roast at three inch intervals.  Do not add any liquid to the roasting pan.  After removing it from the oven, let the roast rest (it also continues cooking) for 15-20 minutes before slicing (slice very thin) and serving.

I didn't feel mine was cooked as much as I like, so I put it back into the oven after cutting off enough for dinner.  Hope told me her men like their's red, so I didn't worry too much about it.  

I roasted red potato and sweet potato wedges coated with a little olive oil and salt and pepper in the same oven at 450 degree after removing the roast and while it rested.

I didn't take any pictures.

Dairy-Free Bisquick Peach Cobbler

We bought a peck of fresh peaches today, so I made a peach cobbler for dessert.  I used Betty Crocker's classic Bisquick peach cobbler recipe http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-bisquick-peach-cobbler/a2efbfa6-3233-4f7a-bf5b-43ce62bd1055, adapted to be dairy-free.

INGREDIENTS

6-8 fresh peaches, skinned, pitted, and sliced (or 29 oz sliced canned peaches), drained

1 cup Bisquick

1 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread, melted

1/2-1 cup sugar

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a square, ungreased baking pan (8"x8" - but I actually used a 9" x 13" pan because I was afraid it would overflow the smaller pan) mix together Bisquick, milk, and nutmeg.  Stir in the melted buttery spread until blended.  Add the sugar (I often find things too sweet, so I only used a bit less than 1/2 cup) to the sliced peaches.  Spoon over the batter.  Bake 50-60 minutes.