Adventures in Gluten (and Sugar) Freedom from a southern blogger chick!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Try these #gf @Jennio recipies for Thanksgiving leftovers

It's leftover Friday! 
Jennie-O offers delicious, gluten free recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers

In the wake of the traditional Thanksgiving feast, families across the United States are faced with one pressing question: what do we do with all this leftover turkey?

Jennie-O has some wholesome, delicious and 

gluten free post-Thanksgiving recipes, which families won’t even recognize as leftovers. I’m happy to provide coupons if you would like to sample them first-hand or offer a coupon giveaway contest for your readers.

 

While lean, tender turkey is an excellent addition to mom’s meal cycle year-round, it’s especially true during the holidays, when something must be done about the leftovers taking up that precious real estate in the fridge. 

 

If those leftover cold turkey sandwiches are starting to seem bland and boring, take advantage of this year’s extras and “Make The Switch” to fun and creative turkey meals with these tasty gluten free recipes from Jennie-O, a brand that is on a mission to show it’s easy to eat well with lean, delicious turkey:

 

For Breakfast: Turkey, Asparagus and Brie Cheese Omelet

 

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Ingredients:

 

Makes four servings

 

·       8 eggs

·       About 8 oz. of sliced leftover JENNIE-O Turkey

·       1/2 lb. thinly sliced Brie cheese

·       1 lb. asparagus, blanched or lightly steamed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

·       Green onions, if desired

 

Directions:

 

In medium bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Lightly coat skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-low heat. Pour 1/4 of eggs into pan. Cook, lightly scrambling and lifting eggs with spatula to allow liquid eggs to flow under set eggs, 2 to 3 minutes or until eggs are set.

Layer turkey, cheese and asparagus over half of omelet. Fold other half of omelet over filling, turn out onto serving plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Garnish with onions. 


 

For Lunch: Black Bean Turkey Chili

 

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Ingredients:

 

Makes six servings

·       About 20 oz. leftover JENNIE-O turkey, chopped

·       1 cup chopped onion

·       1 red bell pepper, cubed

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, if desired

·       1 tablespoon chili powder

·       1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

·       1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander

·       1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

·       1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves

·       1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, if desired

·       2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans low-sodium whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped

·       1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

·       1 (14 1/2-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

·       1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·       1/4 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions:

 

In large stockpot, combine leftover turkey, onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño peppers, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, marjoram and red pepper flakes.


Add tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and cilantro. Cook 10 minutes longer. Top with cheese.

 

For Dinner: Cheesy Eggplant Turkey Lasagna

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Ingredients:

 

Makes six servings

·       Olive oil cooking spray

·       2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices

·       1 pinch garlic salt

·       About 20 oz. chopped leftover turkey

·       1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms

·       1 clove garlic, minced

·       1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·       2 cups low-fat marinara sauce

·       2 cups shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat broiler. Lightly spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Lightly spray eggplant slices with olive oil. Place on nonstick baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt. Broil 6-inches from heat source 3 to 5 minutes per side or until tender and browned.

Lightly spray skillet with cooking spray; add mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until there is no liquid remaining in the pan and mushrooms are starting to brown. 

Heat oven to 350°F. Place half of the eggplant in a single layer in bottom of baking dish. Top with half the mushroom mixture, half the leftover turkey, half the seasoning, half the marinara sauce and half the cheese. Repeat layering with the remaining eggplant, mushrooms, turkey, seasoning, sauce and cheese. Cover. Bake 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and the cheese is bubbly.

 

For more delicious, gluten free turkey recipes, please visit Jennieo.com or SwitchToTurkey.com

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

That Holiday Quandary: Stuffing v. Dressing

Quandary: (noun) A difficult situation; a practical dilemma

OK, I admit. I'm not a stuffing person. I'm a DRESSING person. I'm Southern, and I have always loved and devoured dressing at Thanksgiving. Matter of fact, I pretty much only want dressing for the holidays.

The fine folks at Canyon Bakehouse got me thinking about stuffing this year with this recipe for GF Stuffing.  They suggest you use two loafs of their White bread for it. cubed and toasted.

Know what?  Their bread is to darn tasty to use as stuffing fodder. Save it for the great turkey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, toast (you follow me, right? It's GREAT BREAD!)

But have a look at this fine recipe. Thank you Megan for your patience. It has tested well as written. I urge you to try the bread.

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe 
2 Loaves of Canyon Bakehouse Whole Grain Mountain White Bread 1/3 Cup butter ½ Cup chopped celery 2 Tablespoons chopped onions 1 Teaspoon poultry seasoning ½ Teaspoon salt ¼ Teaspoon pepper 2 Eggs Approx 1 cup turkey or chicken broth (be sure it's gluten free! *I had to add more)Approx ½ cup milk 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast Canyon Bakehouse Whole Grain Mountain White Bread until slightly brown and cool completely. Once cooled crumble bread into a large bowl. Sauté celery and onion in butter until softened, 5-10 minutes. Add onion/celery mix to toasted bread crumbs then add seasonings. Mix well. Add enough milk to moisten then add 2 eggs and mix well. Next, add the broth until very moist and mix well. Transfer mixture to a greased shallow baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes until cooked through golden brown. Slightly stir the stuffing half way through baking time. Enjoy! 
I do have a slight adaptation to this recipe that I really liked. Brown one pound of medium bulk sausage (turkey or pork) and drain thoroughly.  Add two chopped and peeled apples (your choice, but I used Gala). Saute briefly and add to the mixture.  Bake as usual.

You can make this recipe dairy free, vegan, etc. Why not? 

I also think this can be poured into a Crock Pot and cooked on low for about two hours, and I think it would yield the same texture and taste. And save oven time and space, too.... I like my dressing and stuffing moist, not too crusty.

Now, if you want dressing...I got it. An original I stand by.
My Gluten-free cornbread dressing

PS Trader Joe's now has a cornstarch based, reads gluten free Turkey gravy that is shelf stable. Just a suggestion. 

Much love,
Ging

Monday, November 5, 2012

Thursday: Creative Expressions Presents A Very 80's Christmas Concert

Come see my boy Jeffrey Carter!

Dear Friend of Creative Expressions,

If the retail stores can start celebrating Christmas this early so can we! We hope you can join us for a very 80’s Christmas concert!