Greens and Cornbread Quiche with Bacon (gluten free, milk free)

Greens and Cornbread Quiche

Bacon.

(And fresh greens in a quiche, with a cornbread crust. It is a fun fusion fusion dish fit for brunch.)

This is how it is done:

1 lb farm fresh bacon
4 cups chopped greens (I used kale.)
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped mushrooms
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp mustard powder
4 large eggs (or 3 duck eggs)
1/4 cup water

1 cup non-GMO cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a sauté pan, cook the bacon, leaving it soft. Grease the bottom of a 12" square baking dish (or 14" round) with the drippings. If the bacon is lean, use avocado or coconut oil.

Create the crust: mix the cornmeal, baking powder, and pepper in a bowl. Add the water and stir well. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Mix the greens, mushrooms, and onions together. Layer a quarter of the mixture over the cornbread, followed by a quarter of the bacon, and repeat until all the layers are assembled. Beat the eggs, water and seasoning together in a bowl and evenly pour over the top of the bacon and greens.

Bake until a knife comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

I shared this recipe with Motivation Monday, a weekly roundup of natural recipes and craft ideas.

www.stealthymom.com

Super Easy Mushroom Pork Chops- without the cans! (low sodium, gluten free)

Super Easy Mushroom Pork Chops - without the cans (gluten free, low sodium)

Pork chops in mushroom sauce is a simple comfort food. While my husband and I grew up in different countries, both of our moms made the same basic recipe. Our version is just as easy as the Old Staple* but uses fresh, whole-food ingredients. The method is essentially the same: assemble everything in a pan and bake it. The result is fork- tender pork chops with a fresh tasting mushroom sauce that you can pour over mashed potatoes. Yum!

For four to six servings:

2-3 lb package of old fashioned pork chops, such as Niman Ranch or direct from a farmer
1/4 lb mushrooms, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup water
2 tbsp tapioca flour or corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a large Pyrex baking dish with either coconut oil or a light spray of avocado oil.

Chop the mushrooms and celery. Put half of the mushrooms into the baking dish and place the pork chops on top. Top with the celery and the rest of the mushrooms. In a small bowl, mix the water, tapicoa flour (or starch,) salt and pepper. Gently pour the mixture over the pork chops, being careful not to wash off the mushrooms and celery.

Cover the dish with its lid, foil, or a silicone topper. (I prefer a silicone topper. I bought one at our hospital's gift shop and have also seen them at the hardware store.) Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Move the cover to let steam escape and bake for another ten minutes or so to thicken the sauce.


*There is a time-honoured recipe that has been passed down like an heirloom for years: pour a can of mushroom soup over your chops and bake them. We gave up cans of creamed soup years ago because of the excess sodium, monosodium glutamate, and, well, the cans themselves. 

One Dish Wonder: Beef and Potato Bake (gluten free, dairy free, low sodium)

One Dish Wonder: Beef and Potato Bake

There were no cans of soup harmed in the making of this hearty bowl of manly-man fare. None opened, nor even purchased, actually. It is just as easy to make a quick beef and potato casserole, with its own creamy mushroom sauce, without the soup! As a bonus, when cooking with grassfed beef, you do not even have to brown the beef first. Just chop, layer, and pop it in the oven. Find something constructive to do for an hour, and return to find that dinner is done! (There is a serving of vegetables stashed in there, too.)

1 lb ground, grassfed beef
4 medium potatoes
1/2 lb mushrooms, finely chopped
3-4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp salt, or lite salt to further reduce sodium
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Chop the mushrooms, celery, and onions and put them together in a bowl. Mix in the salt and pepper. (This replaces the seasoning and moisture of a can of soup.) Chop the potatoes and set aside.

Layer the ingredients into a lidded casserole dish: First, put half of the potatoes, and sprinkle with a handful of the mushroom mixture. Next, spread half of the ground beef on top, followed by chopped mushroom mixture. Top with the remaining potatoes, then mushroom mixture, the rest of the beef, and the rest of the mushroom mixture. Gently press down on the top to fill in the gaps.

Put the lid on and bake for an hour. (If the oven is not quite preheated yet, pop it in as it is and add a couple of minutes to the timer.)


www.stealthymom.com

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce (vegan, gluten free)

We've been eating lentils quite a bit lately. While they have been a staple for some families for generations, I admit I did not know what to do with them aside from adding a handful into soup or tossing them into a stir fry. Lentils are quite versatile and have a meatiness to them. Full of protein and fiber, high in iron and folate, lentils are really cheap, too. Cooking dry lentils with a sauce gives them a rich flavour.

Lentils with Chunky Marinara Sauce brings lentils to one of the kids' favourite pasta dishes. Tangy tomato sauce, chunky vegetables, garlic, basil and oregano.... We served ours over homemade whole wheat fettuccine but rice or gluten free pasta would have been great, too.

For eight servings:

1 1/2 cups dry lentils
4 cups water
16 oz unsalted tomato sauce, either canned or homemade
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt or lite salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 red onion, chopped (or a whole one if your kids like onions)
3 stalks celery
4 small carrots, chopped

Put the lentils, water, tomato sauce, olive oil and seasonings into the pan to simmer and added the other vegetables as you chop them. As for cooking time, it could take between half an hour to forty-five minutes, depending on the lentils. (The brown ones seem to take longer than the red ones.)

Enjoy!






www.stealthymom.com

Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

Cheesy Lentils and Greens (gluten free)

"Super Really Good," said five year old G-man, when I asked how to describe Cheesy Lentils and Greens. While that endorsement makes me smile, I'll have to tell you myself that it is like a grown up mac'n'cheese. Minus the mac, with lentils and added bites of kale. Is it a side or an entree? Yes.


1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 small mushrooms, finely diced
1 bunch kale, ribs removed
1 cup grated cheddar

In a lidded saucepan (an Ultimate Pan if you have one) gently heat the lentils, water, milk, and salt to a low boil. Turn the heat down, put the lid on and simmer until the lentils are al dente, between twenty minutes to half an hour.

Meanwhile, finely chop the kale and mushrooms. Add them to the lentil mixture, and continue to simmer until the kale is softened.

Stir in the cheddar, then serve.

I shared this recipe with Fight back Friday and Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love,  Empty Your Archive (veggie collection),  Homestead Barn Hop,  Fat Tuesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop,  Gluten Free Wednesday,  Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday,  Thriving on Thursday and the HomeAcre Hop.

www.stealthymom.com

G-BOMBS Stew (gluten free, vegan)

G-BOMBS Stew

Ever hear of the G-BOMBS diet? Dr Joel Fuhrman recommends eating certain micronutrient-rich "superfoods" every day. Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries and Seeds. For the last couple of weeks, ever since seeing his show during a public television fundraiser, we have been trying to include these foods in our usual "Five a Day" fruits and vegetable goals. How could it hurt?

For fun, I put them all together. This stew could be called "G-BOMBS Plus" because it includes servings of carrots, celery, and cabbage, too, all enveloped in a rich sweet and sour broth. Garbanzos and a sprinkle of raw kale just before serving give it a bit of crunch.

For four generous servings or eight appetizers:

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cabbage, chopped
1 cup kale, stem removed, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cups cooked chickpeas, frozen or canned and rinsed
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp coriander
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sesame seeds
salt (1 tsp, adjust to taste just before serving
6 cups water

1/2 cup kale, stem removed, chopped

Stir the carrots, celery, onions, and olive oil together in a soup pot. Gently sauté until the carrots are softened, about ten minutes. Layer the cabbage, kale, and mushrooms on top. If the garbanzos are frozen, just dump them out of their container and let them thaw as the other ingredients cook. If you use canned, rinse them well and place them on top. Put the lid on the pot and allow all of the ingredients to cook for another ten minutes. Stir in the parsley, coriander, raspberries, lemon juice, sesame seeds and six cups of water. Stir in half of the salt. Place the lid back on the pot and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add the other half-teaspoon of salt to taste.

Prior to serving, garnish each bowl with a small handful of the chopped, raw kale and a couple of raw berries.

For more natural recipes visit the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop,  Fat Tuesday,  Healthy 2Day Wednesdays,  Real Food Wednesday,  HomeAcre Hop,  Simple Lives Thursday and Empty Your Archives.

www.stealthymom.com