Potato Cheddar Soup with Broccoli and Cauliflower

No more pics for a while... :( My digital camera is fried! Not good with a new little one due soon. We will have to invest in a new one soon - it was only about a year old, but with activity and little ones it had been dropped several times. It took us a while to get the pics that I used in the last post so I figured we were on the way out with it. It just was not responding right. I was able to get one more picture of Joseph before the screen went completely black and now the shutter wont even shut.

Anyway...

I made some soup that uses onions, potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower tonight! Very easy and yummy and of course GF! Only one dish required to make it so easy clean up too. Not dairy free, but could easily be modified to be so.


Ingredients:
2 onions sliced (I thinly sliced to help with cooking)
Butter, calls for about 2 TBSP (but I used more)
6 cloves garlic, minced
about 5 cups chicken stock/broth (Make sure it is a GF one if you are on GF diet!)
about 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, (wash first) peeled and quartered (again I did smaller to help reducing cooking time) - reserve peels *
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
Broccoli (I used 2 crowns), discard tough stems
Cauliflower (used about 1/2 a head), separated into flowerets
3/4 c milk
3/4 c whipping cream
1 tsp salt
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (calls for 1 c, but more is better with my family - ended up using about 2 1/2 c)
pepper to taste (omitted for my family)

Directions:
* In dutch oven or stock pot, cook onions in hot butter until soft and golden brown.
* Add garlic and continue cooking.
* Add chicken stock, potatoes, and carrots.
* Bring to boil and reduce heat.
* Cover and let simmer until fork tender (about one hour).
* Add broccoli and cauliflower.
* Cover and simmer about 1 hour.
* Lightly puree with potato masher until coarsely mixed.
* Add milk, cream, salt and pepper (if desired).
* Blend (if desired) with immersible mixer and add water, if needed, to desired consistency.
* Stir in cheese.

I used my immersible mixer for the first time with this and will obviously need some practice. I used it a little too well and it is completely smooth. Still very good, but some chunks would be nice too.

* With the reserved potato peels, rub in vegetable oil (about 2 TBSP) and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, until crisp. Use as a topping on the soup. :) This way you are not loosing the nutritional value of the skins - where most of the nutrition in potatoes is!

Would probably also be good with a little bacon bits or cheese as topping. If GF, be careful using store-bought bacon bits.

Sausage Cheese Muffins

1 1/2 lb. breakfast pan sausage, cooked and crumbled - MAKE SURE IT IS GLUTEN FREE! (I am currently using Farmland brand from Target, but looking at getting from local supplier)

3 c Sorghum Flour Mix
2 TBSP Baking Powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 TBSP sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 c milk
2 c shredded Cheddar Cheese

Combine Flour Mix, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and sugar. Add egg and milk. Mix to combine. Stir in cheese and sausage.


Spoon into WELL sprayed muffin tins (stick easily!). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
2 c Sorghum Flour Mix (see previous post)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c yogurt
2 bananas, mashed
1 tsp GF vanilla
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 TBSP flax seed meal

pecan pieces (as much as wanted)

Cream together butter and sugar. I add in "soft" bananas split in half and mash them in with the butter and sugar at this point.

Add remaining ingredients except nuts. Mix until combined. Add in nuts and mix. Spoon batter into sprayed tins (again I am using a lot of my mini-muffin tins lately - easy snack size!). Can also be put in loaf or mini loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (they will be lightly golden brown, as in photo).

Sorghum Flour Mix

This is the mix that I use most of the time. Works very well for most everything - very versatile!

7 cups Sorghum Flour
2 cups Potato Starch (NOT Potato Flour!)
1 cup Tapioca Starch

Carrot Muffins

Recipe from: "The Complete Book of Gluten-Free Cooking" by Jennifer Cinquepalmi (with some modifications)

No picture at the moment - one bag eaten the other in freezer. (Yes they freeze well!)

* 2 1/2 c Sorghum Flour
* 3/4 c Potato Starch (NOT Potato Flour)
* 1/4 c Tapioca Starch
* 1 1/2 c Brown Sugar
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp xanthan gum
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 tsp cinnamon

* 2 eggs
* 1/2 c oil
* 2 tsp GF vanilla
* 2 TBSP flax seed meal

* Crushed Pineapple in its own juice (about 1 8oz can) - DO NOT DRAIN! (Think I ended up using 11 oz as I had a 22 oz can - made two batches)
* 2 c shredded carrots
* 1/2 c applesauce

Directions:
Mix together sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon.

Add eggs, oil, vanilla and flax seed meal. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add pineapple, carrots, and applesauce. Mix on low until well combined.

Spoon batter into sprayed muffin tins (I made mini-muffins for easy snacking for me and kids). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Back to Baking Newer Stuff

I have been sticking to a lot of familiar stuff while trying some new stuff out - still having to play with most, but I am trying to start stocking things away for when the new baby comes so have a few to share.

Will be posting Banana Nut Muffins, Sausage Cheese Muffins, and Carrot Muffins in a few minutes...

We are trying out a croissant recipe, but wont know how it turns out until later tonight or tomorrow - depending on how good I am feeling later today (at least 30 minutes before I can work with it again!).

Thanksgiving Dinner

Our families Thanksgiving feast! (From top center - below Katherine - clockwise, Rolls, Green Bean Casserole, Turkey, Sweet Potato Casserole, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes)

We do similar for Christmas so probably wont be posting as much about food then, but will focus more on some of the treats we make around that time.

Not detailing all the recipes I used for Thanksgiving. If you want/need more info on something just ask!

The Turkey before it was cut. This was a wonderful turkey breast from the Fran's Fryer buying group I participate in. Robert, the kids, nor I care that much for the dark meat so I do not figure there is a reason to buy it! We put the turkey in a brine over night - Recipe really easy. Water (about 2 quarts) to boil, add course salt (about 1 pound) - I use Frontier, stir until dissolved, add about 1 pound of brown sugar (again I use light brown sugar), stir until dissolved. We put the turkey in one of the big drink type coolers, pour brine over it, cover in ice, add water to completely cover turkey and let it sit the garage overnight. In morning rinse turkey and put in oven - and it comes out like this!

Rolls - they have already been into. LOL Think I posted on these already, but if not just tell me and I will add the recipe. (Not going through all old posts right now as I am getting these up.)

Quick, easy, time needed to rise. Biggest thing is that your hands HAVE to be drowned in cool water to handle the dough easily. Other than that super easy.



Katherine helping put apples, prepared by daddy with mommy advise on substitute for flours and such (just used my sorghum flour mix). Robert prefers McIntosh Apples and I was able to find some in decent condition so that is what these are.






Apple Pie ready to go in oven. I have not tried the crust yet, that was the only new part. I was very hopeful on this one, but Robert said - not that good. So back to drawing board on that one! Still looking for a good gluten free pie crust that is EASY to work with. This one was fairly easy to work with, but taste is important to us... I will keep trying and post when we FINALLY get something successful!




My first cheesecake ever! It was actually easier then I thought. Will me making it more often for sure. Still going to be working on some details, but it was good, although it did split at the top while in the fridge cooling.