Gluten Free Comfort Food

Learning how to make some of my favorite recipes gluten free is one of my highest priorities. Tonight was a triumph and I wanted to share. On my menu: Pot Roast, Wild Rice, Gravy, Green Beans and Brownies. And yes, and every bite was better than the original!

To make gluten-free pot roast, I simply made my usual pot roast, substituting white rice flour for the regular kind. First, season your roast (I used an eye of round roast) with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, then dredge in the flour. Brown it in oil on medium heat on all sides. Add about 4 cups of liquid (I used half TJ's natural beef stock and half water) and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook for about 4 hours. The gravy makes itself.

I cooked my wild rice according to the package directions. My green beans were the french skinny kind - not the kind my mom makes - but they were very good and fresh tasting. I used a frozen variety and cooked them quickly in a small amount of water with the lid on just until done. Then I remove the lid, add a couple tablespoons of butter and toss well.

Finally, I had my first gluten free brownie tonight and it was oooohhhh so good. Trader Joe's GF brownie mix is amazing. Unlike my one foray into GF cupcakes that turned out terrible, they were moist and gooey just like brownies should be. I added about 1 cup of chocolate chips and it made them even better. At the end of the meal I couldn't get up for about 10 minutes!!! After weeks and weeks of salads and simply prepared healthy food, it's so nice to know that when I need some comfort food, I can have it!

Football Watchin: UGA vs. Vandy

Homecoming came and went without much pomp and circumstance for me this year. I guess when you live in Athens, homecoming isn't so important as it would be if you had to travel a great distance to attend. Homecoming makes me think of things homemade and one of my favorite discoveries has been homemade tacos. We love having taco night as a family and it's a regular meal around here. I avoid MSG at all cost. It gives me terrible headaches and stomach cramps. For a while, it was very difficult to find things that were MSG free - like canned chicken broth - which you can now get MSG free made by several different companies. Tacos were an issue because the traditional family taco night involves shaking a powdered, MSG riddled substance from an envelope and mixing it with your very high fat ground beef. Ugh. Not good for the tummy. When I found this recipe several years ago, it was a God-send. There may be more natural products on the market today; but this one is so easy and so incredibly delicious that I have no interest in them! Being married to an avid hunter, I have used ground venison exclusively in this recipe and everyone who has had these tacos loves them and can't believe they're made from venison. I highly recommend using venison in place of the beef because it is very healthy, lean red meat and also high in Omega-3s. It is closer in composition to salmon than beef. If you are not a fan of venison, or just not brave enough to try it, get the leanest ground beef you can find so your tacos don't turn out greasy and heavy. The filling is a recipe from Tom Perini's Texas Cowboy Cooking. This cookbook was a gift and it is wonderful! If you ever have the chance to pick up a copy, do yourself a favor and get one. His ranch dressing recipe is amazing!

Picadillo Carmela

(A filling for tacos, burritos, nacho topping or anything else you want to try it on!)

2 pounds lean ground beef or venison

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced

1/2 cup sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbl flour

2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup skinned potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

1-2 whole jalapenos (optional)

Ligntly brown the meat, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If meat is very lean, like most venison, first heat 2 tablespoons of oil or bacon drippings in the skillet before adding meat mixture. Add the chopped peppers, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Add flour to 1 cup beef stock and mix well; add to meat along with remaining stock. Stock should barely cover meat mixture. Lower heat, cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the potatoes (and jalapenos, if you wish) cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Serves 6 to 8.