Shepherd's Pie

I don't promise low fat, but I do promise good!

Ingredients:

• 7-8 medium potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• cream, as needed (or milk, or half n half...use whatever)
• 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3 T. cornstarch
• 1/3 c. ketchup
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• a few dashes of salt
• a few dashes of pepper

1) Chop potatoes into 1-inch chunks and put in a large saucepan (I don't peel them; you can peel if you prefer).  Cover with water; bring to a boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, until soft.  Drain and return to pan.  Add butter and mash with potato masher until most lumps are gone.  Add both cheeses, sour cream, salt, and pepper.  Beat with electric mixer until smooth.  Add cream as needed until desired consistency.  Put lid on pan to keep potatoes warm, and set aside.

2) Pour broth into a small saucepan and place on stove over medium heat.  Pour cornstarch into a small bowl; add a small amount of water and stir with fork to form a paste.  I start with a very small amount of water, and keep adding a little more at a time until I can stir it into a paste.  Add to broth; stir constantly with wire whisk until broth comes to a boil.  Boil and stir until thickened.  You have just made gluten free gravy!  Set aside.

3) Turn oven on to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet, cook onion and ground beef, until onion is soft and beef is browned.  Drain and return to pan.  Add gravy, ketchup, vegetables, salt, and pepper.  Mix well and cook 5 more minutes. 

4) Spread meat mixture evenly in a 9 x 13" pan, and top with mashed potatoes, spreading potatoes evenly also.  Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese.

5) Bake for 40 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, preferably longer.

Enjoy!  This is one of our favorites. 

*Note:  I have made this dairy free also.  I omitted the cheese and sour cream, used Earth Balance spread in place of the butter, and used rice milk in place of the cream.

Apple Crisp

Topping:

3/4 cup gluten free flour mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and softened
1-1/2 cups. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:

6 pounds apples (around 14), peeled, cored, and sliced into 8 slices, then each slice halved
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

• In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Place in a 9 x 13" baking dish. 
• Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position, and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Put all ingredients for topping in a medium bowl.  With hands, squeeze it all together until thoroughly combined.  Sprinkle over the top of apples.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden.  Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

I have made this dairy free by substituting Earth Balance spread for the butter.  The people whom I made it for said it was really good!  Enjoy!  I will have a picture up the next time that I make this.

Gourmet Holiday Yams

Here is my recipe for my yams that I make every year, that everyone loves:

Gourmet Holiday Yams

Ingredients:

5 yams
1/4 tsp.salt
1/4 c. butter
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cream

1/4 c. butter, softened
3 T. gluten free flour mix
3/4 packed brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Peel yams and chop into chunks; put in a pot of water and boil until soft, about 20 minutes.  Drain yams and transfer to a large bowl.  Add 1/4 cup butter and mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Add salt, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and cream.  Beat with electric mixer until well combined.

Grease a 9 x 13" pan and pour yam mixture into it.  Spread evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining butter, flour, brown sugar, and pecans.  Squeeze all together with hands until well combined. Crumble over top of yams.

Bake for 30 minutes, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.  I normally make this a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate, then bake.  If you do that, then add on another 10 minutes or so.

Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy!!!  These are really yummy!

This post is linked up at Gluten Free Wednesdays

Amazingly Delicious Gluten Free Brunch

Here is a post that I put up on my other blog quite awhile ago.  Rather than repost it on here, I'll post a link to it:

Amazingly Delicious Gluten Free Brunch

Enjoy!!

Burritos

Made with homemade beans and corn tortillas, these really hit the spot!

To start off, you need to get some beans going in the crockpot in the morning.  I use this recipe .  The only thing that I do differently is to cut the amount of salt in half.  It calls for 5 teaspoons and I cut it back to 2-1/2, and even that seems a bit salty.  Also, you want to add the salt in at the end of the day, AFTER the beans have cooked.  If you put it in with the rest of the ingredients in the morning, the salt is going to prevent the beans from softening and it will take a lot longer for them to cook.

Later in the day when the beans are done, toss some corn tortillas onto a flat grill...

See the steam coming off of the one on the right?

Carefully spin the tortillas as they heat, flipping them frequently, until at desired temperature and texture. Transfer to a plate, and spread with beans:

Add grated cheese:

Then, if desired, salsa (I leave it off the kids' burritos, but I love it on!):

Roll up tightly:

And enjoy!  The ends will be open as corn tortillas don't close up well on the ends.

Happy eating!!