Potato-Ham Bake

An easy meal to make with leftover ham.

Ingredients:


1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, sliced (you can use any potato, but Yukon or red potatoes are best)
1 8-oz. tub light cream cheese spread with chives and onion
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T. snipped fresh tarragon or 1/2 t. dried tarragon
8 oz. cooked boneless ham, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, cut in 2 to 3 inch pieces


Directions:

1. In medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in small amount of lightly salted boiling water 5 to 7 minutes, just until tender.  Drain; transfer to bowl and set aside.
2. For sauce, in same pan combine cream cheese, milk, 2 T. Parmesan, and 1/4 t. black pepper.  Heat and whisk until smooth and cheese is melted.  Remove form heat; stir in tarragon.
3. Layer potatoes, ham, asparagus, and sauce in 1 1/2 qt. baking dish.  Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
4. Uncover, sprinkle remaining Parmesan.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Let stand 5 minutes.  Top with tarragon and freshly ground black pepper.  Serves 4.

Zesty Marinated Pork Chops

I found this recipe on Gluten Free Easily. It was a winner last night!

Ingredients:
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
dash of black pepper
4 – 8 pork chops

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Marinate pork chops overnight for optimum flavor; turning at least once. Discard marinade and grill pork chops

Allison's Additional Notes:

1. I didn't marinate overnight (instead only about 6 hours), but they still turned out great.
2. I used half of a pork loin, sliced about 3/4 inch thick instead of pre-cut pork chops.
3. I grilled them over high heat, about 3-4 minutes per side. They came out deliciously moist and tender.

Ham and Bean Soup

Soups seem to be fairly easy to adapt to be gluten free (or in this case, no adaptation was needed). This recipe came from Melissa, a good friend of mine.

Ingredients:

3 (15oz) cans small white beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham (about 12oz)
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes w/basil, garlic, & herbs; undrained
2 (14oz) cans gluten free chicken broth
8 cups torn fresh kale or spinach leaves
Freshly shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker combine beans, ham, carrots, celery, onion, and pepper. Stir in undrained tomatoes and chicken broth.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in kale or spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with parmesan cheese. 

Allison's Additional Notes: 

1. This makes a lot of soup. Since my kids aren't crazy about it, the last time I made it I halved the recipe. 
2. I actually skip the crock pot (mine isn't quite big enough) and let it simmer in a pot on the stove for an hour or so.

Pork Barbacoa

This recipe came from my sister, Sarah. It's fabulous. I used corn tortillas for myself, but everyone else used flour. I didn't make the dressing...it's delicious with it, but I chose the lazy route.

Pork Barbacoa

Place the following on a warm tortilla: pork barbacoa, lime-cilantro rice, black beans, mozzarella cheese, and creamy tomatillo dressing. Wrap and eat as a burrito, or leave open and serve with a fork.

Pork Barbacoa

2 ½ - 3 ½ lbs pork loin roast

½ cup worcestershire sauce(Lea & Perrins is gluten free)

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry chile powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tb dried minced onion

1 can of red enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is gluten free)

½ cup dark brown sugar

Cook all of the ingredients except enchilada sauce and dark brown sugar in a crock pot approximately 5 hours on high. When done shred the pork. Then combine red enchilada sauce and dark brown sugar, and pour on top and mix with pork.

Lime Cilantro Rice

Cook the following ingredients according to the rice directions (substituting the water with broth):

1 cup white rice

2 cups gluten free chicken broth

½ Tb garlic powder

1 Tb minced dry onion

Pinch of salt

When rice is done add:

¼ - ½ cup fresh cilantro

½ can green enchilada sauce (La Victoria's is gluten free!)

1 Tb lime juice

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Place the following in a blender:

3 fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters

juice of ½ a lime

½ cup of buttermilk (dry buttermilk mix is okay)

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

1 pkg. dry Ranch buttermilk dressing mix (make sure it's gluten free)

1 cup fresh cilantro (about one bunch)

6 stalks (½ bunch) green onions, w/ ends

2 cloves crushed garlic

4 tsp. sugar

5 (cross section slices) jalapeño pepper (about 1 pepper)

Pinch salt

Combine well in blender and refrigerate one hour.