Potato Bacon Casserole

So epicurious.com has an advanced search function that allows the user to search for ingredients to exclude. It doesn't work very well, however, I was able to find a few real winners among the results.

Search terms:

not milk, not cream, not butter, not cheese, not egg, not onion, not scallions, not chives, not tomato, not "red pepper", not pineapple, not chocolate, not cocoa, not banana, not strawberry, not chile

 

So I tried this one for breakfast, as the insides of breakfast tacos. I increased the seasonings (eyeballed it) and it came out delicious. I used frozen unsalted "hash brown" potatoes which are basically just already cubed.

 

Crisp Potato and Bacon Casserole

Gourmet | October 2004

1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes (3 or 4 medium)  

2 teaspoons olive oil  

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary  

1/2 teaspoon salt  

1/4 teaspoon black pepper  

5 bacon slices (1/4 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces

 

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch cubes.
Transfer potatoes to a greased 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish and toss with oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Arrange potatoes in 1 layer and scatter bacon on top. Bake until bacon is crisp and potatoes are cooked through and golden around edges, about 35 minutes.
Loosen potatoes with a metal spatula before removing from dish.

 

 

 

Pesto Pizza!

I haven't had pizza in what seems like forever. We used a store bought crust that was dairy free. For the sauce I used the spinach pesto recipe below. Topped it with bacon, pepperoni, and black olives which are my favorite pizza toppings. Then sprinkled the top with finely ground cashews to stand in for the cheese. Baked at 450* for 11 minutes which was perfect.

It was pretty awesome considering it was tomato free, onion free, dairy free pizza!

Dairy Free, Onion Free Pesto

We made this at my sister's house last week and it was a huge hit. Definitely go for the fresh basil. It is SO much better that way. Also, we didn't have any spinach so we omitted it and added parsley in an equal amount to the basil. Need to try the original recipe now! Great as a dip or pasta sauce, and I am thinking about trying it out as a pizza sauce. Sounds better than the alternative, carrot marinara. Ha!

PESTO

Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
3 cups fresh spinach leaves, packed

Place ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. If pesto seems too thick, add a little hot water.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Lime Dressing

Michelle brought this over to our potluck pic nic and it was AWESOME. I mean she said it was, but until I tried it, I wasn't so sure I would love it. But I did!

This recipe is the closest thing I could find... of course, there were no onions, tomatos, or bell peppers as pictured. If I get the recipe from her, I will try to post it instead, but for the time being...
Here we go:

 

 

 

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 3/4 cup water 
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
1 small clove garlic, minced
small handful cilantro, diced
 
Dressing:
1 limes, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. 

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Broiled Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic

Broiled Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic
Splashes of lemon add a bright note to this simple chicken dish seasoned in the Provençal tradition with rosemary and garlic.

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 35 min

1 lemon
3 lb chicken parts (thighs work nicely and are often on sale)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Preheat broiler. Remove 4 (3- by 1/2-inch) strips of zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler, avoiding white pith, then cut strips diagonally into thin strips. Halve lemon, then squeeze juice into a small bowl.

Put chicken in a large bowl with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer chicken, skin sides down, to rack of a broiler pan and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, turning over every 5 minutes, 15 minutes total.

Remove broiler pan from oven, then transfer chicken to a plate with tongs. Carefully remove rack from broiler pan and add zest, rosemary, garlic, and remaining lemon juice to juices accumulated in bottom of broiler pan.

Transfer chicken to pan juices, then toss to coat and arrange chicken skin sides up. Return broiler pan to oven and broil chicken until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Reduce oven heat and continue to bake until cooked through.

Transfer chicken to a platter and pour any juices from broiler pan over it.

From Gourmet, August 2006

Potty Training pants/Cloth Pull-ups

Now aren't these interesting? They are the next step from Nicki's Diapers, and I can use them with my small inserts. Seems like a good idea...

We are not ANYWHERE near potty training and won't be for a while, but just thinking ahead.

Egg replacers for muffins

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/egg_allergy.html#

Some egg replacement possibilities for baking are on pg 3 of this article... We usually do oil+water+baking powder for our new favorite muffins:

http://ww.duncanhines.com/products/muffins/simple-mornings-blueberry-streusel-muffin-mix



mmmmmmmmmmm