Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan February 17-21, 2014

This weekend is Family Day weekend here in Ontario, so Monday is a holiday. On Saturday night my husband and I went out for dinner to celebrate Valentine's day, and as a result the whole cooking for the week thing got pushed back a little. This morning I'm getting ready to watch some Olympic hockey and spend some quality time with my family. Have a great week!

Monday: Baked Chicken Tacos (Bake or fry 4 chicken breasts, then flake with a fork. Mix in 1/2 jar of black bean salsa, and heat through. Place in corn tortilla shells with more salsa & grated cheese. Line a casserole dish with tacos and bake at 350F for about 15 min. Serve with condiments like guacamole & hot sauce)

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan February 3-7, 2014

Monday: Sloppy Joes (Recipe)

Recipe: Simple Vegetable Soup

Ingredients  (Serves 4)

1 litre box gluten free vegetable or chicken broth + additional water as needed
2-3 yellow potatoes (or any thin skinned variety), cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
3 celery stalks, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 onion, quartered and then each quarter halved
salt and pepper
1 tsp. Provençal seasoning blend (a simple blend of parsley, thyme and marjoram also works nicely)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil 
1 lemon, quartered to accompany soup when serving
grated Parmesan cheese, optional


Directions

1- In a large soup pot, coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil.  Put chopped vegetables and seasoning blend in pot.  Stir to coat and let cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to soften and allow flavours to blend.
2- Add broth.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.  Taste soup and adjust seasonings, adding additional water if desired.  Cover and let simmer until vegetables are softened, approx. 15-20 min.
3- Serve in warm bowls with a lemon quarter to squeeze for added flavour.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

This soup is my favourite kind to make: SIMPLE.  The potatoes add some heartiness.  Some peas or spinach would add a nice touch of colour as well.  Eat as a meal accompanied by some crackers and salad, or as a first course.

Updated September 2013

White Bean, Spinach and Chicken Meatball Soup

 

This is a soup I make often because it really is simple to make and everyone loves it. It's gluten and dairy free, but still filling enough to serve as a complete meal.

For a thicker consistency, blend some of the soup before putting in the meatballs. It's a great way to get your kids to eat their beans and greens!


Ingredients 
Soup                                                                                      
2 tbsp. olive oil                                                                                                
1 sweet onion, diced                                                                                        
3 cloves garlic, minced                                                                                     
4 cups gluten free chicken broth or vegetable broth                                
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes, pureed (Optional.  If you don't like tomatoes, add more broth)                                                           
1 (15oz.) can white beans, rinsed
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup GF bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (optional)

Directions

1- Prepare meatballs:  Mix chicken, egg, bread crumbs, salt & pepper and rosemary in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into small meatballs and place on a non-stick baking pan (approx. 30-40 mini meatballs.) Bake meatballs at 350F until cooked through, approx. 15 min.

2- While meatballs are cooking, in a large pot, heat olive oil and add onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until soft, approx. 5 min. Add chicken broth, tomatoes if using, and spinach.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.

3- Remove meatballs from oven and set aside.

4- Add beans to soup.  If you want a thicker soup, puree a bit with an immersion blender until desired thickness is achieved.  Add meatballs after blending. 

Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

When cooked, add beans and meatballs to soup and heat through.  Adjust seasoning.  Serve with some grated parmesan if desired.

*** I like to make a meal out of it by cooking up some macaroni or small shell noodles in a separate pot and adding them to the soup when serving.  Rice would also work nicely.

Lentil Soup for Health and Wealth

It is an Italian tradition to eat lentils on New Year's Eve.  The shape of the lentils are reminiscent of Roman coins, and they represent the wealth (in all areas of life) that the new year will bring.

 It's a nice tradition, and it gives me an excuse to make some lentil soup!  Since it's an Italian tradition, I thought that a simple Italian style soup is in order.

Leek and Potato Soup

Last night I felt like eating something warm and soothing, to take the edge off the chilly weather we've been experiencing.  There's nothing like a hearty soup or stew on a cold winter's night to warm the bones.  Here's my version of leek and potato soup that doesn't require any flour or cream for thickening.

Leek and Potato Soup

Soup
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly
2 medium-large potatoes, cubed
**I use white or yellow potatoes with a thin skin so that I don't have to peel them
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (1 box of broth)
1 tsp. dried, mixed herbs (or 1/2 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp. thyme)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Finishing
6 mushrooms (button or cremini), diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
salt and pepper

Directions
1- In a large pot, pour enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom.  Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and leeks until soft, approx. 5 minutes.
2- Add cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Add herbs, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook another 5 minutes.
3- Pour in broth, bring to a boil and then lower heat.  Let simmer 15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and soft.
4- While soup is cooking, pour 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and cook garlic, onion, mushrooms, pepper and zucchini until just cooked through.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.
5- When soup is ready,  blend with an immersion blender or in a blender until desired smoothness is reached.  If soup is too thick, add a little more water or broth.  Ladle into warm bowls and top with some of the sauteed vegetables.  Adjust seasonings and serve.