Dinner tonight...
Prepped it all last night in the crockpot, put in fridge, woke up, take out of fridge, start crockpot, go to church, come home.  Dinner's ready:)

No fasting this week.  If you are Orthodox, you will understand.  If you are not Orthodox and would like to know more, leave a comment:)

Four years ago..

On this day four years ago I went to the hospital because I was not feeling right.  I was 28 weeks pregnant with Petros.  Obviously, everything turned out just fine; but every year, on this day (and there are a few more key days in the next two months) I am reminded of how precious life really is and how much of a miracle my boys are in my life.  I live with lupus everyday, but Jan. 19 is a day to pause- to reflect, to pray and be thankful for life.  I think that for the rest of my life, the month's of January, February, and March will always be a reminder that experience (talk about "joyful sorrow"- out of all that mess came Petros- out of pain can come joy and beauty- a reminder of the joy that is present in our lives always if we choose to see it).  Funny that today in Bible study we were finishing up Philippians (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me).  I have always took this to mean that I can endure through whatever trial because Christ will give me the strength (even when I feel that I have none). 

Normally I don't get all Biblical on the blog- mostly I post funny things the kids say or pictures or recipes.  But today is a day to reflect; to think; to remember.  And I hope that I will always remember.

To read about "what happened four years ago" go here. 

Oh, and happy birthday to my mother in law!

Java Roast...

Miss me?  I am not planning on posting recipes everyday like during the Nativity fast (that was fun- but it has been nice taking a break from blogging).  Nativity was such a whirlwind with my sister here.  It felt like the boys' break was not long enough.  I would have welcomed having them home for another week! 

I love my crock pot.  If you do not own a crock pot- go get one now.  I made this recipe from a new cookbook I purchased called "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow".  I love this cookbook.  Here is the Java Roast recipe that we had for dinner last week.  It was delicious.  Many of the recipes in the book are on line so peruse the website to find some excellent crock pot recipes!

I may continue what I started during the Nativity fast- the posting of recipes- the planning of all our meals for the entire fast period- just to continue trying new recipes.  But for now, I hope that you will enjoy the occasional post- might be food related, might not be food related:)  Have a wonderful weekend!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

No recipes today... Happy Nameday to all the Christina's, Christos', Christiana's, and Christian's out there (and forgive me if I forgot anyone). Our gifts for the boys ranged from purple vestments to plastic swords to Star Wars! Noting like variety in our home:)








Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Have a wonderful feastday... from our family to yours...

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies and other Nativity Treats:)

Artoklassia is on its last rising so we are going to make GF Sugar Cookies.
Here is the Arto. recipe. Alas, it is not gluten free.  I do not think that would go over well (as the priest says something about this offering of wheat, wine and oil in the service).  That is ok with me.  It is blessed and at least Big P and I will eat it (little p is not on a gf diet and DH actually has celiac's so he will not eat it).
Here is the GF Sugar Cookie recipe. I made it two days ago so it is ready to be rolled and cut into cute Christmas shapes:)
Here is the Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.  I make it GF by using GF ginger snaps.  I am normally sugar free, but have saved up all my not-eating-sugar-bonus points for a slice of this cheesecake on Christmas day (and I find that by not eating sugar, all I really can handle is a small slice and I am happy:)  And, yes, it is on the flylady site.  Many years ago I was a member of flylady and it did help me to get undercontrol but I didn't like receiving so many emails.  So once I felt like I had a schedule, I stopped being a member of the flylady world.  And the things I like, I still do and that's fine with me!  And this recipe is amazing.
Granma's Famous Meatballs... wait a minute... family- should I post granma's famous meatball recipe?!?  I don't think it's a secret...

Brazilian Shrimp Stew and Coconut Rice

This is an amazing lenten recipe.  Go to this website for the recipe.  The coconut milk makes it so creamy that you do not even realize that you are not eating milk! 

Coconut Rice is here.  It is an unsoaked brown rice recipe.  The only thing that I do different is use 2 Tbs. margarine and 2 Tbs. olive oil.  Oh, and I just skip the whole cardamom pod thing and the saffron.

I will try to post the gluten free pizza crust recipe soon.

Until then, have a great evening (I am, in addition to making dinner, making 2 loaves of prosfora for Christmas Eve Liturgy because tomorrow I will be making Artoklassia for Christmas Eve Liturgy- our liturgy is really Christmas morning because Orthros is at 11pm and Liturgy is at midnight:)  The boys helped with the prosfora!

You know you are nearing the end of a fasting period...

when you have soy cheese pizza for dinner!  I made two pizzas (one for the kids and one for the adults- we had LOTS of veggies on our pizza).  I made a gluten free crust (I finally feel like I do not need to fear the GF pizza crust)- well, actually made two GF crusts.  This is really the only time we use soy in our home.  I am not a fan of soy but DH likes to have soy cheese pizza at least once during a fasting period.  So there you have it.  I may post the crust recipe (it, too, is lenten) but I also am heading over to mom and dads because my uncle is going to be over for a short visit.  And we get to see him maybe once a year (although this year he came to the family reuinion in June).

Falafel, Juddrah, and Hummus

This is what we call Middle Eastern Night in our home.  I used to buy the falafel mix but most of them contain wheat (and other things).  So when DH was diagnosed with Celiac's I thought that we would never have Falafel again!  But I found and adapted a recipe for us that does not contain wheat!  Yay!  And these are the best tasting falafel I have ever made (stop making those just add water mixes right now and go make this falafel).  It does take more work and planning (soaking the beans at least two days ahead of time).

Falafel
2 cups garbanzos
water
4 Tbs whey or lemon juice
4 large cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup oil

So the 2 cups garbanzos, water, and whey/lemon juice is for the soaking of the beans.  You soak these beans twice (2 Tbs. whey/lemon juice for the first soak and 2 Tbs for the second soak).

After you have your soaked/rinsed beans either make the falafel or put the beans in a freezer bag or container and put in freezer.  I will do this a lot (esp. during fasts) so that I know I have beans on hand.

I use my food processor for this job.  Add 1/2 the garbanzos to food processor.  Add 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 tsp. of each of the spices.  Do not add oil (that is for cooking).  Pulse until reduced to a coarse paste.  The mixture should be finely ground enough to form into a ball (and then flatten - that's how I make my falafel) and hold its shape but it does not need to be entirely smooth. Dump falafel mixture into a bowl and repeat with the rest of the garbanzos and spices.  Mix the two batches together, cover, and put in refrigerator for 1 hour.  Form into patties and cook in oil.  Serve with hummus and sliced veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc).  We do not use pita bread (does anyone have a gluten free pita bread recipe?)  I have read to serve with corn tortillas but that just doesn't sound appealing to me.  So we just dip our falafel into the hummus and eat with the veggies. 

Juddrah
Sometimes I will also make juddrah as the side dish (although, this ends up being a lot of beans eaten in one sitting).  You can soak your lentils, just not as long as the other beans...
to soak lentils... put amount of lentils you will need for recipe into a bowl, cover with warm water and stir in 2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice.  Let sit for 6 or 7 hours then drain and rinse and continue with your recipe.  I suggest initially decreasing the water that you cook with and adding later as you cook because the soaked lentils can and will cook faster with less water.  Just keep an eye on it:)

Back to the Juddrah...
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water (but use less if using soaked lentils)
2-3 large onions chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup uncooked rice (if you use cooked rice, use less water)
1 Tbs. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Chop onions.  Heat oil in pan.  Add onions. Saute until carmelized/almost burnt.  Add water, lentils, and rice.  Cover and cook (ok, I usually use brown rice and it will take longer than 20-25 minutes but I don't remember how long) until rice and lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Hummus
So I tried this once with soaked garbanzos and it just wasn't smooth enough for my family (and, hey, my boys will eat hummus so why mess with a good thing, right?)
1 can garbanzo beans, reserve juice
1 1/4 tsp. tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced (I usually use at least 2)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs olive oil (optional)

Heat beans over medium heat until they come to a boil.  I use a slotted spoon to remove the beans (put beans into a bowl) and reserve the juice.  Add the next 4 ingredients to the beans.  Now, add about 1/2 the reserved juice (more if you like a runnier hummus, less if you like a pastier hummus).  I have this milk shake attachment to a hand chopper (electric) that I use to mix the hummus but I have also done this in a blender.  Blend until creamy and very smooth.  Serve with vegetables, tortilla chips, rice crackers.

Again, my sister is in town from Russia and we have been spending lots of time with them.  Last night I did make Ratatouille and will hopefully post the recipe in the next few days.  Today I have an intimate wedding shower in the morning and my niece's 1st birthday party/open house to see my sister in the afternoon.  So it is a busy day!

Topsy Turvy Meals...UPDATED with Links!!!

Sunday night was ended up having leftover pasta and red pepper sauce (from Friday night's dinner).  Monday night we had leftover pasta with marinara sauce (I had some in the freezer).  So tonight will be the Baja Fresh night (yay) with Katie's rice.  Tomorrow we are doing falafal, juddrah, and hummus (get ready for the falafel).  And Thursday we are going to have my parents and my sister and her children over for dinner before Big P and little p's school nativity program performance.  For that crowd (of nine people) I am going to make the good old standby of Lentil Soup (and because my dad is super picky about eating cooked vegetables... he won't even eat cooked tomatoes (like diced tomatoes- he's fine with tomato sauce) or cooked onions!  So to please my dad we will have lentil soup.  And maybe some leftover falafel and hummus for those that want it!

The next 10 days of meals might be a whirlwind with my sister here from Russia (as in, we might be eating at my parents home a lot).  Hopefully I will get to try some of the recipes that I have marked for the next 10 days of the fast.  We shall see...

Thanks for reading and for following me on this journey of discovering new recipes for Gluten Free Fasting in the Orthodox Church:)

Update:  go here to enter to "The Christmas Shoes" movie giveaway!

Dinner Saturday and Sunday Night...

Saturday was the last Fish day before Christmas so we had our favorite Salmon recipe with our favorite french fry recipe and Greek Salad minus feta (and I am not planning on eating fish for Christmas).  And, we had my mom and dad over because it is my birthday on Monday (we try to have my birthday on the last fish day so that we can have fish and not Lentil soup or something like it).  It was a fun night and we played Apples to Apples with my parents.

Tonight we are having Baja Fresh for dinner with Black Beans instead of my homemade refried beans (I did soak the black beans and made them myself but I am not going to mash them like in refried beans).  And I am going to try Katie's suggestion for the Baja Fresh style of rice.  Tomorrow night (monday) is Cub Scout Christmas party (they are having pizza- not sure what we are having).

Penne with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce AND Garbanzo soaking day 2

I made a double batch of tonight (really last nights) dinner because I went to my mom's group Christmas Party Potluck and White Elephant Gift Exchange.  Had lots of fun, came home way too late (and I was maybe the second person to leave!).

This recipe I am posting here is for a single batch (4 to 6 servings)
2 1/2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes- you choose how much work you would like to put into this dinner)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or to taste (ok- does anyone actually own a 1/8 tsp?)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
2-3 Tbs. veggie broth or water
1 lb pasta (I used gluten free pasta)
1/2 tsp. coarse salt

heat the oil over medium heat.  add onion and cook until very tender, about 15 minutes.  add garlic and cook until onion begins to carmelize (I love love love carmelized onions). add tomatoes, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, bring to a boil.  reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the red pepper is very soft (about 15-20 minutes).  Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  return mixture to skillet and stir in basil.  reheat over low and add veggie broth or water as needed to make a smooth sauce. 

cook pasta according to package.  transfer to large bowl and toss with the sauce and coarse salt.

DH walked in the door as I was preparing to "blend" the sauce.  And he was aghast.  Why would you blend something that looked so good and chunky (remember, he does not like blended foods- see the garlic potato soup recipe).  So I partially blended the sauce.  This is delicious.  A winner to everyone but Big P.

Garbanzo soaking day 2.
drain water off of 1 day soaked garbanzo beans (no need to rinse).
add 2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice
fill with hot water
cover and let sit for another 24 hours.

Getting ready for falafel...

So if you would like to join me in making falafel at some point in the next few weeks get soakin' (your garbanzo beans, that is).

2 cups dried garbanzo beans
2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice
hot water

put garbanzo beans in bowl.  mix in whey or lemon juice.  add water.  cover and let sit over night.  repeat for another 24 hours.  rinse, drain, and store in the freezer for falafel day (coming soon, to this blog).

Cashew Vegetables (with optional shrimp)

I added shrimp to this recipe...

1 cup white or jasmine rice, cooked to directions on package (I used soaked brown rice, go here for directions)
1 lb broccoli tops, separated into small florets
1 Tbs. oil (I used coconut oil)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snow pease
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 can baby corn (I opted to leave out the baby corn)
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce (I found Gluten Free hoisin sauce)
3 Tbs. duck sauce (I left out the duck sauce b/c the duck sauce I found either had wheat in it or was made with corn syrup so instead I used Gluten Free soy sauce).
1/4 unsalted cashews
salt to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

The recipe suggests cooking the broccoli before stir frying it but I have never done that when making stir fry so I skipped that step and went right into...
Heat a skillet or wok over high heat.  Add oil and onions.  Cook 1-2 minutes then add broccoli, snow peas, bell pepper and baby corn (which I did not add).  Stir fry for 3-4 minutes (at this point I removed the veggies, added more oil, and stir fried the shrimp then continue) add hoisin sauce and duck sauce (or soy sauce) and veggies to pan and toss until everything is evenly coated.  Remove from heat and toss with cashews.  Season with salt and crushed red pepper if you like it spicy (DH added crushed red pepper to his).  Serve over hot rice.

DH says this is a keeper.  Even with all the changes that I made:)  I liked the flavor from the hoisin sauce (and I like that I found the gluten free hoisin sauce).  I may just have to keep that in stock in my refrigerator!  The boys are always more difficult to please (the are still eating dinner right now).

Potato Casserole

This is one of those recipes that you can probably add a whole lot of different "stuff" to and make it great every time. 

2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
3 onions thinly sliced (I think I used one onion)
1 clove garlic, minced (I used two)
4 Tbs. parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. mint, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4-6 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 peppers cut in 2 in. pieces
1 zucchini thinly sliced

I actually just chopped everything and mixed it well in a large bowl and then dumped it into an oven proof dish with lid (I have one of those super nice dutch ovens from Martha Stewart (what are they called, katherine?)) rather than layering each veggie (potatoes then tomato mixed with spices then zucchini then peppers and repeat).  Bake covered 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook until vegetables are tender. 

I can see adding green beans or summer squash or, for those who like eggplant it could go well in it. 

Salmon with oven potatoes instead of garlic mashed potatoes...

Turns out I didn't have enough of the right type of potato to do the garlic mashed potatoes (doh!) so I just did the oven potatoes with unpeeled red potatoes.  No complaints about this dinner!  And I do stick with the same salmon recipe only because the times that I have ventured out and cooked salmon a little bit different are the times my children then will not eat dinner that night.  We like this recipe and I feel like we mix it up enough with other types of fish that it's ok to eat salmon cooked the same way (except in the summer... we do cook the salmon on cedar planks on the bbq... you know, it's "only" 20 degrees outside, DH should really have bbg'ed this evening:)  Go here for our salmon dinner recipe.

Hey, is it colder here than in Moscow?  I need to look into that...