Main Dish
We have so many friends and family that need to be gluten free for health reasons. I am always looking for something that is not only easy and delicious but one that everyone can enjoy. This is one of those recipes. You can even add a little “topping bar” so everyone can make it their own. Extra Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, olives and anything else you like on your pizza! I took the time to caramelize some onions to add to the slow cooker but this is a recipe that almost anything goes. For those that can eat gluten, this would be great served on sub rolls!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bag of frozen meatballs, I used gluten free
- 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
- 1 package of pepperoni, cut in half
- 4 ounces of cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- any additional toppings your family likes.
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add the meatballs, pizza sauce and pepperoni into your slow cooker. Mix well. If you are going to make the caramelized onions, add the olive oil into a medium pan and add thinly sliced onions. Let the onions cook until golden brown, stirring often. Once golden brown,
Enjoy!
My family gets very tired of chicken and this dish brought everyone back to enjoying chicken again. There were no complaints from anyone about this dinner. And it was super easy for me too as I made this in the air fryer, but this can be baked as well. This picture does not do the dish justice. The chicken is filled with spinach and cheese, then coated in panko for the crunch factor and served with warm marinara sauce. Simple and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
- 5 ounces of baby spinach leaves, about 1/2 a bag
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons garlic infused oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
- Warm marinara sauce to serve
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a medium fry pan over medium heat add the garlic infused oil and the baby spinach. Sauté until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool. Pound the chicken breast until thin. When the spinach has cooled divide the spinach between each of the chicken breasts making a layer over the chicken. Top the spinach with the cheese, again divided between all of the chicken. Fold the chicken over so the spinach and cheese are in the middle of the pounded chicken. Secure the folded chicken with 2-3 toothpicks keeping the stuffing in the chicken the best you can.
Whisk the two eggs and place them in a dish large enough to be able to coat the chicken. Place the panko in another dish also large enough to fit the chicken. Mix in salt and pepper to the panko.
Taking the chicken one at a time, dip the chicken into the eggs then into the panko to
Place the chicken in your air fryer and fry at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely through. Top with warm marinara sauce.
Enjoy!
We love Thai food and one of the dishes my husband gets most often is Pad Thai. I don’t cook many Thai dishes but decided to give Shrimp Pad Thai a try and I’m so glad I did. It was so easy and we really love the sauce in this recipe. This is great for a busy week night dish as it comes together very fast once the noodles have soaked.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 Oz. Rice noodles
- 3 Tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
- 1 pound uncooked medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon ground paprika
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
Soak the rice noodles in cold water for 40 minutes. The noodles will soften but will still be firm to the touch. They will continue to cook and soften when added to the hot skillet. After 30 minutes drain and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and shrimp. Stir fry for about 3 minutes, add noodles and bell pepper slices and continue to cook until noodles are translucent, about 5 more minutes.
Add fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and paprika. Stir until well mixed. Create a well by pushing the noodle mixture to the sides of the skillet. Add the beaten egg into the well and let cook until the egg just starts to set then stir the cooked egg into the rest of the noodle mixture. Add soy sauce, scallions and bean sprouts stir to mix. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Put your speakers on!
A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate enough to attend the New Hampshire Food Bank charity event called “The Steel Chef Challenge” held at the Double Tree by Hilton in Manchester NH. This event brings four NH chefs together in a chopped like setting where the chefs are given a stocked pantry. Then the audience picks two surprise ingredients. The chefs are given 20 minutes to create a dish that is judged by three judges.
One of the most exciting things about this event is that the MC of the event was Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. This was so exciting as she is one of my all-time favorite celebrity chefs and she did not disappoint. Chef Alex was gracious, kind, funny and generous as she also donated two of her personal knives to be auctioned off at the event. I should mention not only was it a food competition but also an auction to raise as much money as possible for the NH Food B
This event started a little bit earlier if you were a VIP. We were invited to have appetizers that were cooked by a number of local chefs. Many of these chefs were past competitors in the Steel Chef Challenge. There was also an open bar during this time. The big part of this time was the meet and greet with Chef Alex. Everyone was given a chance to have their picture taken with the chef and have a moment to say hello. When this part of the evening was over we all moved into the dining area where we all found our assigned tables. W
The competing chefs for this
Our dinner started with a baby kale salad with butternut squash, pickled haricot vert, cheddar curd, toasted pumpkin seeds and a creamy Calabrian chili yogurt dressing. For the entree, we had a seared filet with a red wine and shallot Demi glaze along with chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s lobster ravioli. The ravioli had a saffron brown butter sauce, and on the side was balsamic roasted Brussel sprouts. Our last course was an amazing maple creme brûlée with a gingerbread cookie. Needless to say no one left hungry!
When the 20 minutes were up each chef presented their dish to the judges and crossed their fingers. The event then went into the auction portion of the evening where so many amazing donations were bid upon. Items included everything from Patriots gear,
The final portion of the evening was finding out what
The NH Food Bank has put this event on for the past four years. The last two had Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and the year prior they had Chef Robert Irvine. To keep up to date with this and other events that help the NH Food Bank, like and follow them on Facebook.
Enjoy!
This dish is so easy and so delicious. I put this in my slow cooker and let it go for the afternoon. Although I did make one change to the recipe. That was to add the pulled pork into an ovenproof dish and put it under the broiler for just a few minutes. Doing this tightens up the sauce and gets some nice crispy edges on the pork without drying it out.
I made this dish two ways. The first as it’s written on hamburger buns. The second way was making the pulled pork into BBQ quesadillas by adding some maple BBQ sauce to the pork, about a cup. Lay a buttered tortilla butter side down over a pan heated over medium heat. Add enough pork to cover the tortilla, top with sharp cheddar cheese and about 1/4 cup of your favorite coleslaw. Top with a second tortilla with it being butter side up. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, flip and cook until the second side is lightly browned.
INGREDIENTS
- 4-6 pound pork shoulder (this will feed 6-8)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cayenne/ divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- hamburger or slider buns for serving
DIRECTIONS
Combine spices, using only a 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne and rub all over the pork shoulder. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours, cook until it is fork tender and easily falls apart. When it’s done cooking, shred the pork and leave it in the slow cooker. Add the vinegar and maple syrup along the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Mix everything well in the slow cooker coating all of the pork. Continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
This is the point I put the pork in an oven safe dish and under the broiler for just a few minutes to tighten the sauce and get some crispy bits on the pork. This step is optional. Serve warm on hamburger or slider buns. If you have leftovers as I did, go ahead and make those delicious quesadillas.
Enjoy!
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