Gluten free~ Casein Free One Year Anniversary!

Happy one year of being
Gluten~ Casein Free to our family!!!!!

A year already?! I can remember how daunting it felt to even think about going GFCF. I had failed once why not twice? But I have not. There have been a few infractions  (cough, cough, Jeff!) but nothing serious. We are seeing improvement with our 2 youngest in skills and behavior and overall our health is a lot better. :0)

I am so proud that WE  have reached this milestone. It would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our oldest daughter Heather; Sarah Elizabeth for being a great cheerleader encouraging Joseph to try new things; Emily as my eagle eye label reader; Jeff for trying even though you never wanted to lose eating meat daily and processed foods and Joseph for eating just about anything that I served you. Even though you don't like veggies have been secretly eating them up a storm. Finally, I thank my readers. You have encouraged me to share recipes and develop a passion I never knew I would have, cooking and writing.

I look forward to this next year, exploring new foods and dishes. Getting to know our local farmers and markets. Attending cooking classes. Cooking with Emily in the kitchen and serving yummy healthy food to my family. 

May your table always be bountiful.

~b

P.S Over the last few days, I have been looking at the recipes I have posted trying to decide what to serve in honor of this great achievement. I decided on Ginger Black Beans and Pasta. I thought it was appropriate since it was my first post in seriously blogging and being GFCF.

Ginger Black Beans and Pasta

2 tsp seame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions. minced (I used what ever onion I have on hand)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 C diced combination yellow/red bell combined with yummy salsa.

2 Cups black beans, rinsed

pinch of cinnamon

2 Cups of of rice spaghetti

In a skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic, green onions, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the peppers and stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add black beans and cinnamon. Decrease heat to simmer. Cook 1-3 minutes.

Serve over quinoa pasta.

A simple spinach salad topped with walnuts, strawberries as a side dish. We use oil and vinegar for dressing.

Ginger Black Beans and Pasta

I found a gluten free vegaterian dish that everyone likes! Wahoooooooo! In this household that is a difficult feat. I found the recipe in the book Express Lane Diabetic Cooking by Robyn Webb.



I like the layout of the book. It breaks the shopping down into several groups so that grocery shopping is made easy, the prep and cooking times are layed to help coordinate other dishes, and the diabetic nutritional information is very specific including exchanges, fats, carbs and anything else you want to know.



Serves 4:
Exchange 1/2 C beans, 1/2 c veggies, 1/2 c pasta

prep time: 10 min


cooking time: 7 minutes Add 5-6 mins for cooking angel hair pasta if cinnamon

not cooked before starting recipe.



2 tsp seame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions. minced (I used what ever onion I have on hand)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 C diced combination yellow/red bell combined with yummy salsa.

2 Cups black beans, rinsed

pinch of cinnamon

2 Cups of of rice spaghetti



in a skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic, green onions, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the peppers and saute 5 minutes.



2. Add black beans and cinnamon. Simmer over low heat for 1 minute.



3. Serve the beans over angel hair pasta.

Linguine with clam sauce

Linguine with Clam Sauce

2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (make sure it says: Produced in Italy)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, start preparing the sauce. In a large saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add the olive oil, clams with their juice, parsley, basil, and pepper. Place over medium heat until boiling. Serve warm over pasta. Sprinkle w/Parmesan. Serve with garlic bread and a salad.