Creamy Pesto Zoodles and A Veggetti Review and Giveaway!

Spiralized veggies seem to be all the craze lately, and I love it.  And with all the craze going on, I got the opportunity to try out the Veggetti®.  It's compact and really incredibly easy to use.  It can easily be stored with my small kitchen utensils when not in use and it's dishwasher safe.  It fits perfectly for what I need.  I love it!

Here's some more info about Veggetti®:

• It turns vegetables into delicious, healthy spaghetti, instantly
• By using zucchini, squash, carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes, the Veggetti® creates thick or thin pasta with significantly less calories and carbs than traditional noodles.
• Ordinary pasta has 800 calories and 160 grams of carbs compared to 60 calories and 8 grams of carbs using Veggetti®!
• Great for those who are trying to make healthier food choises, diabetics, or on gluten-free diets
• The Veggetti® is quick & easy to use, has stainless steel blades, and is dishwasher safe
• Veggetti® is available at Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Walgreens, CVS, and other fine retailers nationwide

If you would like to learn more or get a Veggetti® of your own go to the Veggetti® website: www.getveggetti.com.

So, I thought I'd share one of the ways I have used my Veggetti® so far. With this wonderful summer recipe.

And I thought I would also give you all the chance to win a Veggetti® plus a $25 dollar visa gift card to go along with it!  All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me how you would use the Veggetti® in your house, include your email address so I can get hold of you if you are the winner. The giveaway will end on July 31st at 11:59pm.

Creamy Pesto 'Pasta'

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 garlic clove
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 avocado
2 small to medium zucchini

Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine everything except the zucchini and blend until smooth.  To create zucchini noodles, simply twist the zucchini through the Veggetti, cut the noodles in half, or smaller depending on how long you like your noodles.  Then blanch the noodles for a couple of minutes or until desired doneness is reached.  Combine the sauce and the noodles and serve.

*The Veggetti, gift card, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Ontel.


This post was shared on Gluten-Free & DIY Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Gluten Free Friday, and Gluten Free and Natural Thursday.

Turkey Noodle Soup

I made us a turkey on Tuesday, it's a cheap way to cook meat just once for the whole week. So, yes, we'll be eating turkey all week.  Tuesday night I also made the stock for my turkey noodle soup using the turkey frame and it worked amazingly well for the soup we had last night.


This soup is pure comfort food for me...I had three helpings of it and can't wait to eat the leftovers. My nonveggie eaters at least ate the turkey and noodles out of their bowls. :)

Turkey Noodle Soup
1 meaty turkey frame
8 cups water
1 medium onion, quartered
1 gluten-free chicken bouillon cube (I used Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n Bouillon Cubes, because they have it right on the box that it's gluten-free)
1 bay leaf
Chopped turkey (total amount needed is at least 2 cups)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups gluten-free dried pasta
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Break turkey frame into pieces.  Place in an 8 to 10 quart dutch oven.  Add water, onion, bouillon cube, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Remove the turkey frame.  When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones.  Discard bones and skin.  Cut meat into bite-size pieces, if needed add enough chopped cooked turkey to equal at least 2 cups, set the meat aside.  Discard bay leaf.

3. Strain the broth, discarding solids. Skim fat from broth. (Since I did this the night before, I placed the broth in a tupperware container in the fridge, by the next day the fat was very easy to skim off the top). Note: If you are making the broth the day before, this is when you would store everything in the fridge until you are ready to make the soup.

3. Place the broth in a large saucepan, or back into the same dutch oven. Bring the broth to a boil.  Stir in carrot and celery.  Reduce and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes.  Add in the pasta and cook until tender, but firm, time will depend on the type of pasta you are using, mine took about 7 minutes.  Stir in turkey and parsley and heat through. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Italian Sausage Frittata with Caserecce

When I saw this post on the Gluten-Free Goddess, I was instantly wanting a frittata, so I put it on my weekly menu and I made it tonight. What's fantastic about frittatas is that its a fantastic way to use up leftovers...literally put your leftovers into a cast iron skillet, pour egg over and bake. Love it!  I had some leftover pasta that I froze, because I could not waste it, I absolutely loved it the first time around and hoped it would thaw okay. So, I thawed it and used it in my frittata.  Also, I had some cooked italian sausage that needed to be used, so I cut that up and used it as well.  I also had some peppers and green onions that had been sitting in the fridge and really needed to be used....see where I'm going, yeah, frittatas use up leftovers and make them excellent! I served ours up with some pizza sauce, because that is basically my quick and easy way to make marinara sauce

Italian Sausage Frittata with Caserecce


8 large eggs
1/4 cup dairy-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
canola or olive oil
1/3 cup diced green onion
1/3 cup sliced orange bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 links Italian sausage, sliced
2 cups brown rice caserecce, cooked to al dente

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk eggs with milk until frothy (I put mine in the food processor).  Season with salt, pepper, and herbs.  Set aside.

Lightly oil a 10" cast iron skillet.  Heat it over medium heat and cook the peppers for about 2 minutes, then add in the green onions and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the sausage and pasta and stir to gently combine everything, making sure to evenly arrange everything in the pan.

Quickly pour the egg mixture over the sausage/pasta mixture.  Using a spoon, move the pasta and sausage a bit to allow the egg mixture to seep around each piece.

After a couple minutes on the stovetop, move the skillet to the center of the oven and bake the frittata for 20 minutes or until the center is set.

Serve with marinara sauce.

This post is featured on Simply Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, The Real Food Weekly, and Allergy Friendly Friday.

Fried Mac and Cheese

So, if you recall, I made mac and cheese the other day, and we had half a pan left over.  So, what did I do with the leftovers?  Well, I had been restocking my 'convenience' foods for my little ones (i.e. chicken nuggets, corn dogs, fish sticks), so I had nice hot oil ready in the deep fryer, so of course I had to try my hand at fried mac and cheese.  I know, I know, it's not healthy, but it was good. :)

Fried Mac and Cheese
chilled gf/df mac and cheese
gluten free flour blend for dredging.  I used my blend, but you could also you the Gluten-Free Bisquick instead, or whatever blend you feel like.
1 1/2 tsp Ener-g egg replacer
2 T water
gf corn flake crumbs
oil for frying

Directions
Mix together egg replacer and water, set aside. Take a tablespoon full of mac and cheese and dredge it in flour, rolling it into a ball. Dip the ball into the egg replacer then into the corn flake crumbs.  Repeat with the rest of the mac and cheese.  Fry at ~350F until golden brown on all sides (it only takes a couple of minutes). 

Totally Vegan Mac and Cheese (Gluten and Soy free, too)

I have been meaning to make a mac and cheese for my little one that's dairy-free, because that used to be one of his favorite foods to eat before this whole diet change...but, I just never got around to it.  But a dear friend asked me for advice on how to make mac and cheese, and I decided I had better get off my butt and actually make some!  There are so many different recipes out there, many of which call for nutritional yeast.  I have no problems using it, but I kept thinking, can't I simplify this and just make a cheese sauce with our Daiya cheese? Daiya cheese actually has a pretty decent recipe on their website, but once again the nutritional yeast...I opted to make a typical bechamel type sauce as my base and adding the 'cheese', like I would have done prior to our dairy-free days. :) Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese

8 oz gluten free pasta
2 1/2 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
2 tablespoons soy-free margarine
2 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend
2 cups So Delicious Original Coconut Milk or other dairy free milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I save the hills of my bread to make crumbs, and freeze or dry them)


Cook pasta until firm al dente (we used shells that required 14-16 minutes to cook, I cooked them ~11 minutes, you don't want to overcook the pasta or it will fall apart in the oven). Drain thoroughly when done. And place in a greased 8x8 pan.


Preheat oven to 350F. In a saucepan melt the margarine, then added the flour and mix to make a roux.  Stir in the milk, and heat until thickened.  Stir in pepper and cheese, and cook over medium-low heat until cheese is melted and well incorporated.  This will only take about 2 minutes. Pour cheese sauce over the pasta and cover this mixture with bread crumbs.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Ham and Chicken Pasta

I had leftover ham from Sunday dinner last week that really needed to be used up, and also some chicken. I found this recipe in one of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks and decided it would be easy enough to modify.  This can be modified anyway you like.  Add in spinach or broccoli, use chicken or ham or sausage...it's a great sauce and not hard to make.

Ham and Chicken Pasta

8 ounces dried gluten-free pasta shells
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups So Delicious coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cooked ham, cubed
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1 teaspoon salt or as needed


Directions:
Cook pasta according to package. Drain and rinse.  In large saucepan heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook about 3-5 mins or till onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, thyme, and pepper. Add milk and the chicken stock. Cook and stir til thick and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in pasta, ham, and chicken (and cooked veggies if you have them) and heat through.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles

My kids actually call this soup "Kung Fu Panda Soup" or "Noodle Soup"...but, hey, we'll call it anything they want, if they eat it! :)  This soup is easy, and can be made simpler by using cooked leftover chicken or turkey, chicken broth, and dried gf noodles.  I adapted my recipe from here and the noodle recipe from here. Okay, so why in the world am I making noodles?  I wanted to experiment, and they turned out pretty good.  But another main reason, I wanted to use up some egg yolks.  If you haven't noticed, I use a lot of egg whites, but not so many egg yolks...so I have been on a quest to use my egg yolks, so I'm not wasteful.  And by the way, did you know you can freeze your yolks and whites? Like I said, I'm usually after the whites, when I'm separating eggs, so I haven't had to freeze those yet, but for yolks just place them in a ziploc bag, add a small pinch of salt and squeeze out of the air...voila, ready for the freezer.  And if you've forgotten how many yolks are in one bag, one tablespoon = one yolk. :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 lb meaty chicken pieces (I used drumsticks)
6 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 recipe of fresh egg noodles or 1 1/2 cups dried gf noodles
1 teaspoon dried parsley


1. Place chicken in a slowcooker, cover with water, then add onion, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and bay leaf.  Cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is done.

2. Remove chicken from broth.  When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones.  Discard bones and skin.  Cut meat into bite-size pieces; set aside.  Discard bay leaf.  Skim fat from broth. (I actually use a fat-separating pitcher, because I suck at skimming fat).

3. The broth can be kept in the slow cooker (put on high heat) or moved to a large saucepan, which ever you choose. Bring the broth to boiling.  Stir in carrot and celery.  Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes.  Add in the noodles and cook ~2-5 minutes for fresh noodles or dried ones until tender, but firm.  Stir in chicken and parsley and heat through.


Homemade Gluten-free Egg Noodles
3 1/2 cups plus more for dusting  Silvana's All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 eggs beaten
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoon olive oil

1. In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture.  In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and the whole eggs.  Add water and oil.  Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix well.  It should be a stiff dough, not crumbly or wet; adjust flour or water if needed.

2. Sprinkle countertop with flour and knead the dough a couple of times to make sure it won't crumble. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into at least four equal portions.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a paper thin rectangle (it will be as thin as you can get it, hopefully about 1/16"). Dust the surface of the dough with flour and loosely roll the dough into a spiral.  Cut into 1/4" strips, shake strips to separte, then cut into 2-3" lengths.  Or instead of rolling up dough, you could leave it in the rectangle and use a pizza cutter to cut into noodles.

4.  At this point the noodles can be added into the soup or they you can dry them for a couple of hours, then place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 8 months.

Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti Sauce

My aunt has the best spaghetti sauce recipe in the world!  It is so much better than anything you can buy at the store or even get at a restaurant and it really isn't that bad to make, it does take time, but it's well worth it.  It also makes a ton, for our little family it makes enough for at least 5 meals...love it!  I freeze the leftovers in ziploc bags, so I can just take out what we need, when we need it.  So, last night I had my brother and his wife over for dinner, and this is what we ate....below is the recipe with some changes I made, based on what I had in the house (fresh tomatoes, instead of canned, etc.)

Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti

2 lbs Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot)

1 small onion, chopped

3 -4 garlic cloves, minced

6-7 medium to large tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and diced

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)

3 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lb gluten free spaghetti (we had corn spaghetti)

Directions:

1. In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened. (At this point you can transfer it to a crockpot if you like, and after adding everything else, cook on low for 6 hours)
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
5. Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
6. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful not to let it burn!
7. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
8. Spoon sauce over drained spaghetti noodles.

Mrs. Leeper's Corn Spaghetti

So, I'm a pasta girl and I married a pasta boy...so of course we would have pasta kids, and what happens when that pasta is suddenly off limits?  Well, you still eat pasta!  I do love rice noodles (The Thai Kitchen brand is one of my favorites), but sometimes the Asian noodles just doesn't cut it and I want my Italian style pasta with meatballs and marinara sauce!  So, we tried out Mrs. Leeper's Corn Spaghetti and it passed!  My little one was literally stuffing his face with it, makes a mom smile. :)  The noodles were a bit fatter than our gluten spaghetti we have in the house, but the texture is right, and it definitely worked in alleviating my spaghetti craving and was a nice change from rice noodles.  So, if you're rice noodled out, this is worth a shot.

Overall Rating: 10 out of 10 because my little one more than put his stamp of approval on it and it worked perfectly for classic spaghetti and that's what I needed it for.