recipe

Instant Pot Tacos

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You may noticed I’ve been on a taco kick lately. Youngest and I enjoy our tacos. Now that I’ve figured out the yummiest taco meat, I make it at least once a week.

During my weekly meal prep, I made extra of the taco meat and froze it in my Souper cubes. Yes, I got some of them and absolutely love them. This way the taco meat is ready to go if I want to eat nachos or just don’t feel like cooking.

What do I need for the recipe?

  • ground beef – I know ground beef prices are expensive. Sometimes the family packs are cheaper. Get one of those, double or triple the recipe, and then freeze for later.
  • taco seasoning – Homemade or store bought – My favorite is from a local place.
  • onion, optional – You could also add some diced up bell peppers in the taco meat.
  • salsa or fire roasted salsa style tomatoes – I found fire roasted salsa style tomatoes at my local grocery store. They add a certain flavor to the taco meat. If your store doesn’t have that type of tomatoes substitute salsa.
  • Tortillas – Flour, corn, or hard taco shells – It doesn’t matter.
  • Your favorite toppings: Cilantro, sour cream, lettuce, shredded cabbage, black beans or re-fried beans, jalapenos, tomato, cheese

Other uses for the taco meat

  • Nachos – The meat would be delicious on nachos. Yum!
  • Taco salad – Add some French, Catalina, or ranch dressing on top. Or you could skip the dressing and use salsa instead.
  • Taco fries – Doesn’t that sound delicious? Or is it just me?
  • Walking tacos – Fritos, taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

The Recipe

As always, click on the image for a printable version of the recipe.

Bramble Beans in the Instant Pot

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SIMILAR Recipes

Last week, I put bramble beans on our menu but didn’t have time to meal prep. So when it came time to cook the recipe, I had to change up how I was going to cook the meal. I decided to make it in my Instant Pot instead of the crockpot. It was easy to do.

So what do you serve with the bramble beans?

A simple side dish would be either a salad or frozen/ canned veggies warmed up.

Roasted veggies

Cornbread, biscuits, or rolls – Simple and delicious

Applesauce or baked apples

Similar Recipes

Sloppy Joes (Crockpot)

Sloppy Joes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joe French fries

Beenie Weenies

Bramble Beans

Stars of the recipe:

  • 2 – 15 oz. cans of pork and beans
  • 1 – 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 lb. hamburger, browned
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 c. ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp. mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 4 Tbsp. brown sugar

Steps:

  1. Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté.
  2. Place the hamburger and diced onion in the Instant Pot. Cook until the onion is transparent and the hamburger is no longer pink.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients.
  4. Manual set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes. (Make sure you have the vent is closed.)
  5. Quick release the vent once it is cooked.
  6. Enjoy!

Note: You may need to add about a quarter cup of water since you are using the Instant Pot.

Simple Shrimp Veggie Salad

What You Need:

  • Raw shrimp (See note) – How to shell and devein a shrimp – Follow the link.
  • Butter
  • Lemon
  • Mixed greens
  • 1 cup of your favorite raw veggies
  • goat cheese, feta cheese, or blue cheese
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette (I like the Raspberry Merlot from Bolthouse Farms.)

Simple Shrimp Veggie Salad

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1 oz. raw shrimp (see note)
  • 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 c. mixed greens
  • 1 c. cut veggies (I used bell peppers and cucumbers.)
  • 1/4 c. Goat, Feta, or Blue Cheese (I used blue cheese.)
  • 2 Tbsp. raspberry vinaigrette

Steps:

  1. Heat the skillet to medium heat.
  2. Add the butter, deveined, and shelled shrimp.
  3. Cook for 3 minutes. Flip.
  4. Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp and then cook for an additional 3 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, in a bowl place the mixed greens and cut veggies.
  6. After the shrimp are finished cooking, place on the greens and veggies.
  7. Top with cheese and vinaigrette.
  8. Enjoy!

Note:

You can also use already cooked shrimp if you don’t want to cook the shrimp.

My favorite homemade meat substitute – Day 11 of 31

As I previously said, I don’t like textured vegetable protein as a meat substitute.  The only one I enjoy is the Ground “Beefless” Beef from Trader Joes.

Sometimes I want to make one without any weird ingredients.  So I found a way to have a meat substitute with only 2 ingredients.

Mushrooms can have a meatly taste to them depending on how you cook them.

Cashews provide the “crunch” and texture you get with browned ground beef.

Vegetable meat substitute

It’s so easy to make and takes less than 5 minutes to put together.

So what do you need to make this meat substitute?

  • 4 to 5 cups of sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup raw cashews

Combine in a food processor.  Pulse for 10 to 12 times until the pieces are minced but not pureed.

That’s all you need to make the meat substitute.  Pretty easy.

Tomorrow I’ll share one way I use the meat substitute.

Until then, happy vegetarian eating,
Traci

Soft Gluten Free Bread – Blog Post #27

Last week, I mentioned that I have xanthan gum in my gluten free pantry.  I use the xanthan gum to make this bread.

It is soft and delicious.

 

Soft Gluten Free Breads

Soft Gluten Free Bread

  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

 

Ingredients

– 1 & ½ c. water or milk

– 3 to 4 Tbsp. honey or sugar (I use honey.)

– 2 ½ tsp. Dry active yeast

 

– 3 c. gluten free flour mix

– 1 & ½ tsp. Xanthan gum

– 4 tsp. Baking powder

– 1 tsp. Salt

– optional:  Mix in your desired sweet or savory flavors (cinnamon or garlic powder)

 

– 2 tsp. Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

– ¼ c. olive oil

– 2 lrg eggs

 

Directions

  1. In a measuring cup, measure milk.  Place milk in microwave.  Warm on ½ power for 1 to 2 minutes or until warm to touch.  Stir in the honey.  Then sprinkle on yeast.  Set aside to allow to proof for 10 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and the sweet or savory flavors.  (Dry ingredients)
  3. Combine the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and eggs in a stand mixer bowl.  Using the paddle attachment, mix of a minute.
  4. Add the proofed yeast mix to the ingredients in the stand mixer bowl.  Mix for a minute.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes.  Dough will be wet, sticky, and thick.
  6. Oil and flour a 9 by 5 loaf pan.
  7. Using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray, scrape the bread mixture in the loaf pan.  Smooth out the loaf with the spatula.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  9. Place the bread mixture on top of the oven.  Do NOT over proof your bread.  Let it rise for about 20 – 30 minutes.  Don’t allow it to rise above your loaf pan.  Otherwise it will either flow over the pan or collapse.
  10. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes.  
  11. Once you pull the bread out of the oven, do NOT leave the loaf to sit in the pan to rest.  Within one or two minutes, gently turn it out onto its side onto your cooling rack.
  12. Allow it to cool completely before cutting into slices.  Use a serrated bread knife.
  13. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

 

Source

Happy eating,
Traci

10 More Gluten Free Recipes on My Blog – Blog Post #15

I’ve gone into the archives of my blog to find more gluten free recipes.

  1.  Ranch Chicken Legs – Use a gluten free biscuit mix instead of a regular biscuit mix.  Double check your ranch seasoning to make sure it doesn’t have any gluten.
  2. Honey Glazed Carrots in the Microwave (GF, Paleo)

    Honey Glazed Carrots

    Honey Glazed Carrots

     

  3. Cranberry Relish (Slow Cooker Recipe) (GF, DF)

    Cranberry Relish

    Cranberry Relish

     

  4. Fried Potatoes (GF, DF, Paleo, W30)Fried Potatoes
  5. Tropical Smoothie Smoothie (GF)
  6. Brown Sugar Ham (GF) – This is a family favorite.  The boys absolutely love when I make this recipe.
  7. Roasted Potatoes (GF, Paleo, DF, W30) – Another family favorite recipe
    Roasted Potatoes
  8. Paprika Chicken (GF) – Serve it over gluten free egg noodles or rice
    Paprika Chicken
  9. Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (GF, DF, W30, Paleo) – Serve over gluten free spaghetti, zoodles, or spaghetti squash
    Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
  10. Bacon Cheeseburger Soup (GF) – If you are craving cheeseburgers, this is a great gluten free option.  Yum!

Join me next week when I’ll share 10 more gluten free recipes on my blog.

Happy eating,
Traci

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins – Blog Post #10

I love the flavors of fall – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.  All of those flavors make my taste buds sing.

Hubby laughs at me buying all of the pumpkin flavored goodies.

When I got up on Saturday, I was craving pumpkin muffins.  Since I’m eating gluten free, I can’t just go to Panera and get myself a muffin.

So it’s up to me to bake my own muffins.

I googled gluten free pumpkin muffins and found this recipe.

I adapted the recipe by using regular milk with apple cider vinegar to get the lift she discussed in the recipe.  She also suggested adding chocolate chips which I did.  Yum!

Since I added the chocolate chips, I was able to get 10 muffins out of the batter instead of the 9.

I enjoyed my muffin with butter and a mug of pumpkin spice coffee.  Delicious!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

Ingredients

– 1 & ¼ c. all purpose gluten free flour

– ¾ c. brown sugar

– 2 tsp. Baking powder, double acting

– 1 & ½ tsp. Pumpkin pie spice

– ½ tsp. Cinnamon

– ¼ c. nutmeg

– ¼ tsp. Salt

-1 c. pumpkin puree

– 2 eggs

– ¼ c. softened butter (½ a stick)

– ¼ c. milk

– 2 tsp. Apple cider vinegar

– ¼ to ½ c. chocolate chips

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with wrappers or grease the muffin tins.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and spices in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs.  Add to dry ingredients.
  4. Add the butter, pumpkin puree, milk, and apple cider vinegar to a bowl.  Mix.  Pour into the dry ingredients.
  5. Using an electric mixer, blend until combined.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  7. Fill the muffin cavities ⅔ rds full.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are browned.
  9. Enjoy!

 

Source:  Dishing Delish

Happy eating,
Traci

 

Cranberry Almond Coconut Snack Mix (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

I know there is some debate on whether Cheerios is really Gluten Free or not.  Since I have not been diagnosed with Celiac’s disease and only have a sensitivity to gluten, I decide that Cheerios are okay for me.

The Wee One loves this snack mix.  While it was cooling on the baking sheet, he would randomly walk into the kitchen, take a handful of the mix, pop the snack mix into his mouth, and then walk out.

I added some pumpkin seeds to my snack mix.  Yum!

Cranberry Almond Coconut Snack Mix

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

 

 

Ingredients

-5 c. Cheerios

-3 c. Honey Nut Cheerios

-1 c. gluten free oats

-1 c. dried cranberries

-2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

-2 c. raw almonds, chopped

-1/4 c. melted coconut oil

-1/4 c. honey

-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

 

  1. Spray crock with non stick spray.
  2. Place the both kinds of Cheerios, oats, cranberries, shredded coconut, and almonds into the crock.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
  4. Pour the honey mixture over the dried ingredients in the crock.
  5. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
  6. Before placing the lid on the crock, place a paper towel over the snack mix.  Cover, and then cook on low for 3 hours.  Stir every 45 minutes.
  7. When done cooking, pour the mixture on a paper towel or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  8. Allow to cool for an hour before placing in an air tight container.

Happy eating,
Traci