Rachel’s Recipe Box

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and South Beach phase 2 safe recipe.

This recipe is delicious, and can be ready very quickly or simmer for a while. This was one of the first soups my kids enjoyed!

Ingredients

• 2 LB ground “meatball mix” (or ground turkey, or your favorite ground meat)
• 1 TBSP Italian seasoning, plus a little dried oregano & basil
• 1/2 TSP garlic powder or dehydrated roasted garlic
• 1-2 CUP chopped carrots
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2+ cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 TBSP olive oil (or less, depending on the meat you are using)
• 3-4 CUPS cooked brown rice (more if preferred)
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups crushed tomato (from a can)
• pinch or two kosher salt
• a few shakes of oregano/basil/parsley to taste

Method
Mix meat with spices. Roll into thumbnail-sized balls. Add oil to skillet and sauté meatballs in pan until pink is gone and they are light brown in color. Remove meatballs, leaving juice in pan. Addcarrots, onion, garlic, celery to juice and sauté until tender.

Heat broth in a stockpot. Add rice, meatballs, veggies and juice. Stir. Add crushed tomatoes and season. Heat until hot through. Add additional broth/water and seasonings as needed for desired thickness and taste. Letting this simmer for a bit is wonderful, and lets the flavors really mix, but it tastes great as soon as it’s hot, too.

The meatballs are great for later (frozen, whatever) - this size is great for kids.

This is an adaptation of a recipe a friend found in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker. We all loved this, AND it was already gluten and dairy free! I just tweaked a few things to suit our own tastes.

Ingredients:

• 12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped (I use 1 package precooked bacon)

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 32 oz (2 lbs) frozen corn
• 3 cans creamed corn
• 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning
• 2 tsp Worcesteshire sauce - Lea & Perrins is GF (could sub soy sauce if you cannot eat fish)
• 4-5 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 cups water
• a couple pinches kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

Method

If you have the time, quickly saute the onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. When they are tender, add to the crock pot. (If you don’t have the time, you can just add them raw to the crock pot - just make sure the soup cooks for several hours)

Add all other ingredients to the crock pot. Be careful to stir after adding ingredients. Don’t add all the frozen corn at once, or it will make a giant frozen clump that is very hard to stir.

Cook on low for about 8 hours, or on high for about 4.

We served this with some italian sausages. It was delicious!

My 8 year old wanted to make our lunch today. She looked at recipes in a few children’s cookbooks, but since we need to go grocery shopping, she didn’t have enough ingredients for the official recipes. Here is what we came up with together. A wonderful, warming soup for cold days - and easy enough for kids to do most of the work!

This recipe is wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut, peanut, fish, and shellfish free. It is also vegan, vegetarian, and gfcf. It could easily be corn-free with label checking.

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, pressed

• 2 TBS cooking oil
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped (if you have them)
• 3 potatoes, chopped (we choose not to peel them)
• 1 splash wine (optional - we just had a little wine left so we poured it in)
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tomato cans of water
• 1 tsp each of oregano, basil, and thyme
• 1 bay leaf (they’re lucky!)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 28 oz can beans, or 2 14oz cans beans; drained

Method

Heat oil in a medium/large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, celery, and carrots (if using). Stir until they become tender. Add wine or water, and stir to get the good bits off the bottom.

Add all the other ingredients. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir well, then turn down to medium-low. Let simmer, uncovered, for at least 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Serve and enjoy! This soup was a hit and everyone had seconds!

If you have different vegetables around, you could easily substitute what is currently in your pantry.

I made a stew with these 3 primary ingredients once, then promptly lost the recipe somehow. So this is what I ended up making, and it is good enough that the children have chosen to eat it as leftovers, and no one argued about eating it for dinner! This would be lovely without the pork, as well.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also a wheat free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, top 8 allergen free, corn free, South Beach phase 2 safe recipe. It could easily be a delicious vegetarian meal by omitting the pork.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3+ cloves garlic, minced
• splash cooking oil
• 1 1/2 lb pork, diced
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1 28oz can black beans, or 2 14 oz cans, drained and rinsed.
• 5 oz frozen spinach (half a 10oz block)
• 2-3 handfuls lentils (used to thicken the soup)
• kosher salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, and Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning to taste (check all seasonings to make sure they are appropriate for your allergies)
• about 6 cups water or broth (to cover)

Method
Pour the oil into a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes, then add the pork. Brown the pork, stirring occasionally.

Add the other ingredients (just add a couple pinches/shakes of each seasoning at the beginning), and bring to a boil. Let simmer (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes. Check that the sweet potatoes are done (a fork/knife should slide through), and taste. Correct seasoning, and serve.

This recipe is an adaptation of one I found online. I made several modifications, though, to make it work well for our family. Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients - it’s a very easy recipe to make. Less than 10 minutes prep time, then the rest is cooking in the crock pot. You could also simmer on the stove for a couple hours if you prefer not to use a crock pot.

This recipe is gfcf, wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, nut, peanut, egg, fish, shellfish, and corn free. Please remember to double check ingredients on all labels. This is not vegan or vegetarian, but it could be if you modify it by simply removing the ground meat and adding another can of cannelini beans - the quinoa and beans give it a lot of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef/ground turkey/or TVP if veg

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 carrots — cut into circles (4 baby carrots = 1 carrot)
• 1 medium onion — chopped
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• several grinds black pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 3 cups broth or water
• 1 28 oz can diced or chunky crushed tomato
• 1 14 oz can cannelini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed)
• 1 6 oz bag baby spinach (or equivalent frozen spinach)

Method:
Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Saute carrots, onion, and garlic until they begin to get tender. Add ground beef and brown. Drain well.

Add all ingredients EXCEPT the baby spinach/frozen spinach to the crock pot.

Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

1/2 hour before serving, add baby spinach/frozen spinach and stir.

Serve as is, or with breadsticks, focaccia, or rolls.

This is eminently forgiving of ingredient substitutions and dietary requirements. It’s also delicious and easy. What more could you want?

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free recipe! It is also a wheat free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, top 8 allergen free, corn free, South Beach phase 1 safe recipe.

Ingredients

• about 2 lbs chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 onion, diced
• 2+ cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/2 bag prechopped cole slaw mix - this gives the mouth-feel of noodles, without the carbs, calories, or gluten of noodles (watch out for carrots here, if you avoid them for South Beach - some stores have pre-sliced cabbage without the carrots)
• 1-2 carrots, diced (all veggies could be omitted or substituted based on preferences)
• 2-4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• a few handfuls of frozen chopped spinach
• chicken broth to cover
• spices to taste (basil, oregano, italian seasoning, kosher salt)

Method
Saute the onion, garlic. Add vegetables and chicken. Cook until meat is browned.

Add all ingredients to crock pot. Let simmer (covered) all day on low. Serve as is or with noodles, wild rice, or brown rice.

You can also do this on the stove, simply let simmer for an hour or so for the flavors to meld.